THE BURLESQUE HOUR Glory Box Edition

Finucane & Smith’s Glory Box is a bejeweled treasure of entertainment, set with scarlet Chinese lanterns, sumptuous drapes upon drapes and promises of hidden delights.  This is not some meek fluttering of fans, or sweet simpering among feather boas. This is burlesque that sticks its tongue out at seriousness, subverts tropes, sings with its heart and pulls art into the world.  

The stars of the show each have moments to shine: Paul Cordeiro’s impish mischief and showmanship, Anna Lumb’s sheer athleticism, Maude Davey’s ability to reach out to the audience and have them in the palm of her hand, and Holly Durant’s beautiful dancing.  And of course there is Miss Moira Finucane’s collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria, “Get Wet for Art!” which caught the audience’s attention for each passionate moment.  Probably the audience members who were sitting close to the stage were wondering what was going to happen when they were prepared for that scene by being wrapped in protective plastic and being handed see-through umbrellas.

The mood of the performance moved from cheeky subversion of “Romeo” who danced to the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself”, and audience participation (though initially unwilling) for “Strawberry”, moving to darker moments as time went on. The second half is the stronger of the two, both in its exploration of the body and the self, and humour in dark places.  Those audience members who left at interval may have disagreed with the excessively loud music (volume levels left a bit to be desired) or perhaps did not expect nudity or dark subject matter. But such darkness does not stay forever, and it was truly a sight to see the audience dancing with delight with the stars for the finale.

Rachel McGrath-Kerr

Image: Moira Finucane as The Queen of Hearts in Finucane & Smith's Glory Box. Photographer:  Heidrun Lohr

Review from Seymour Centre York Theatre, season. 15 to 24 November 2012

Gypsy Rose Lee meets the Adams Family!           

I first saw The Burlesque Hour in Melbourne four years ago and was absolutely gobsmacked by the provocative and sensual professionalism of this amazing troupe of entertainers. Then I saw The Burlesque Hour at the Sydney Opera House a couple of years ago and was again deeply impressed by the darkly erotic, energetic and liberating nature of these performances. Completely new shows are created for each tour and the Glory Box Edition is a worthy successor to Finucane and Smith’s earlier shows. Conceived in China and born in Melbourne, their shows have toured the world for eight years. The last show opened in over 70 towns and cities in Australia alone. The Burlesque Hour cabaret spectaculars have now been experienced by nearly 100,000 people. Whew!

The Glory Box Edition consists of eight individual acts; ranging from the Grand Guignol like poetry of Pamela Rabe’s hilarious erotic address ‘Plough My Vulva’ (my favourite of the night), to the very gothic and messy drinking of bloodlike soup and Moira Finucane’s slow sensuous eating of, what was it, a fig? Plus, there are the more traditional and sensational burlesque style hoop gyrations of Anna Lumb, but with fairy lights, as well as several audacious circus acts, such as the spectacular semi-striptease on the trapeze. Wow!

Every act is unique and each explores a different plane of our psyche, as well plumbing the depths of human eroticism. It’s very Freudian really, exploring and exposing our Id, Ego and Super Ego. During the two hours of The Burlesque Hour the intellect merges with the flesh, usually in a wet and unusually messy environment. Not surprisingly, it’s a show delivered smoothly and superbly by seven women and one man. Highly recommend.

Stephen Carnell

Image: Moira Finucane in her erotic homage to art... Get Wet For Art. Photographer: Paul Dunn