Place Pigalle in Paris, the location of the Moulin Rouge, is famous for its theatres, adult shows and sex shops, so it’s not surprising that Craig Ilot chose this name for his production, a blend of disco, burlesque, circus and cabaret.
The perfect venue for this variety show is the fabulous Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, where screen idol Marlene Dietrich once performed.
Pigalle is a retrospective of 1970s disco music, breathtaking aerial feats, fabulous costumes and titillating naughty segments interspersed with singing and dancing and, above all, the great voice of Marcia Hines.
Marcia is accompanied by multi-award-winning performer iOta, Bangarra dancer Waagenga Blanco, singer/dancers Chaska Halliday and Zachary Webster, aerial artists Yammel Rodriguez and Hugo Desmarais, burlesque artist Kathryn Louise McLaughlin aka Kitty Bang Bang) and acrobat Sonja Schebeck, who also played the violin and ate fire.
Musical director Joe Accaria and choreographer Lucas Newland conspired with Craig Ilot to capture the baby-boomer nostalgia market, such that their show was a sell-out on the first night!
And what a show it was!
However, one aspect of the show that really puzzled me was the segment in which Waagenga Blanco performed what appeared to be a Saint Vitus dance in a most tortured manner in a pair of pants that looked as though they had been pulled from a bin at Vinnies. Surely he deserved better choreography than this! And better costuming!
And finally, disco music does not favour singers and Hines’ voice did not get the prominence it should have in her numbers. (ID)
Until Jan 27. Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Hyde Park North, Elizabeth St, Sydney. $70-$86+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneyfestival.org.au
