Blanc de Blanc

Blanc de Blanc
Directed by Scott Maidment. Spiegeltent. Southport Parklands. October 5th to Nov 5th, 2017

The Spiegeltent is on the Gold Coast for the first time, but cabaret in the 1930’s (when the tent was built) was never like this. Blanc de Blanc, like the fine champagne it is named after, explodes with superb bubbles (literally) and just the right taste on the palate for a spring evening. With an 18+ censorship rating, this  erotic, evocative cabaret that looks for all the world like Cirque du Soleil on steroids, is great entertainment and an aphrodisiac combined. With a cast of 9 superbly talented performers (a shame there was no programme) including the impossibly ripped Monsieur Romeo and the hilariously funny and original Spencer, the show provides two hours of classy circus style cabaret with diverse acts and raunchy humour seamlessly melded together, and always tongue in cheek.

You may have seen some of the acts before in different incarnations but I guarantee you won’t have seen them done better. Add to this the original touches like an aerial act that dips in and out of a bubbling hot tub (spraying the front rows with water) and champagne….lots of champagne…and – well, you get the picture. There is nudity…but the girls have such exquisite bodies (especially one gorgeous Amazonian named Zella Rose) that it’s impossible to take offence.

And if you think it might all be a bit tacky, think again. The show is brilliantly choreographed by Kevin Maher and superbly directed by Scott Maidment. Both of them are driven by their need for excellence, and it shows. Every move is precise, every act has a new twist (wait until you see the hula hoops) and innovation is everywhere.

The lighting design is worthy of a main stage event in any city of the world, the soundtrack has been meticulously chosen (I even heard a few bars of “I Met a Girl” from the Broadway musical Bells Are Ringing) and every choice, even the raunchiest, is impeccably realised.

True, you probably wouldn’t take your 72 year old grandmother (unless she was ME) but for everyone else, this is superior entertainment. There have been many of these cabaret style shows over the years, but Blanc de Blanc is head and shoulders above the rest. It’s a veritable Jeroboam of delights.

Coral Drouyn

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