See the review in it’s original context here.
Finucane & Smith’s Burlesque Hour is now a winter institution in Melbourne.
Bringing together guest artists and regular performers, it’s a collection of acts as burlesque is meant to be: clever, subversive, surprising and bawdy.
This year’s offering, themed Glory Box and exploring ideas about original sin, is an especially strong line-up.
Nearly every contribution sizzles with some sort of X-factor that elevates ordinary to extraordinary. Sometimes it’s a conceptual hook; other times pure technical perfection or, as especially is the case with Moira Finucane and Maude Davey, it’s an infusion of darker emotion into a sexualised context.
Ursula Martinez has three distinct pieces – one’s a classic favourite that no matter how many times you’ve seen it somehow doesn’t lose its zing.
Circus dynamo Anna Lumb nails a hula-hoop act that expertly plays with tempo and pace, while cabaret diva Meow Meow’s interpretation of the night’s theme creates a macabre hilarity.
With its cabaret environs, lush red lantern-strewn catwalk and wealth of sassy women, Glory Box is a package that’s pretty on the outside, but once opened, unleashes a world of complex delights.
Stars: ****½