Leah Russon Watkins
Stepping into this I had little idea around what to expect. While I was aware of the concepts of burlesque and cabaret, I had never attended a show quite like this before.
Our host, Ivy Page, welcomed us to the show with her charisma and beautiful, yet daring, gown. Covered head to toe in large gems, her transparent gown reminded me of a fun, campier version of Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ dress (for lack of a better description). She started by introducing all the acts, each one dressed up in fabulous glitz and glamour. The first hypnotising fan dance captivated the audience into a trance, watching the blue feathers create beautiful patterns. The dancer’s outfit was a stunning lapis blue, complimenting her complexion beautifully. Her dance was captivating and shocking, with a contemporary take on the Victorian style of burlesque.
Peggy Sued, the real star of the show…her performance never faltered, only adding to the fun we were all having.
Providing a different take on burlesque was Peggy Sued, the real star of the show. Her drag persona had everyone laughing and cheering, hearing about her infamous 10 ex-husbands and witnessing her incredible hula hooping talent. The involvement of the audience, including Richard’s role as her glamorous assistant, was flawless. While she did drop a hoop (which I am sure we can pin on Richard) her performance never faltered, only adding to the fun we were all having.
Matt Ricardo definitely had a tough act to follow, though follow it he did! Unsure as to how he would compare to the wonderful Peggy Sued, I was delightfully surprised. His friendly demeanour made his act all the more entertaining, speaking to the audience and involving us in his show. While his cigar box trick had us all wondering what was to come, I was pleasantly surprised by the balancing tricks he performed, leaving me on the edge of my seat. While the final burlesque dance of this half was similar to the first in style, her mischievous energy gave this performance a new dimension of fun. Her red bedazzled corset was to die for, continuing to shock us as more elements to the outfit continued to be revealed.
While the second half displayed even more of the bedazzling outfits … Christian Lee did not live up to the Britain’s Got Talent hype.
The excitement of the first half was difficult to follow up, and sadly it did not sustain the same fun and whimsy energy which we had been experiencing. While the second half displayed even more of the bedazzling outfits we had previously seen, the second magician, Christian Lee did not live up to the Britain’s Got Talent hype. His entrance included a cheesy song with some ‘exciting’ magic tricks. He performed the iconic ‘pick a card’ trick, which was made less impressive through the pre-made umbrella displaying the card our audience member selected. Although I do appreciate that this is a classic, the pre-made props made the performance feel a little underwhelming – but hey, maybe I just didn’t get it
the showgirls bedazzled bodysuits and dramatic feather headpieces couldn’t distract me from the unsynchronised dances
While this may have been my first experience of this type of dance, the showgirls bedazzled bodysuits and dramatic feather headpieces couldn’t distract me from the unsynchronised dances they performed, which were, dare I say, a bit stiff. While this was a little disappointing, their overall choreography was fun and playful, as I had imagined would be in this type of show.
Overall, the show captivated the enchanting nature of burlesque and cabaret. It was a brilliant opportunity to see an array of different performers in one comprehensive show, providing something for everyone to enjoy!
Leah Russon Watkins
Featured image courtesy of Alex Watkin. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of The Burlesque Christmas Cabaret Show. No changes were made to these images.
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