THE BURLESQUE HOUR
“Burlesque is more than fishnets and fabulous legs,” says Moira Finucane, the leading diva of cabaret show, The Burlesque Hour. “It’s an electrifying mix of the Gothic, the literary, Bollywood, Australian rock, German Expressionism, sideshow, freak show and carney.”
Along with this cocktail of influences, burlesque doesn’t discriminate between high or low art. Finucane explains that the word, which originated in the 1600s, meant a mockery, a grotesquerie, an exaggeration or a parody.
It’s a term the sultry performer started using before anyone else. From early days performing underground, to more recent manifestations, it has earnt the entertainer 40 seasons, eight theatre awards and thousands of fans around the world.
The current tour of The Burlesque Hour: Glory Box Edition promises to deliver even more. Finucane says it will be a ‘mega mix’ of the best, featuring all the favourites from previous shows combined with new acts, “which will make us famous.” This includes Australian theatre star, Pamela Rabe, delivering an erotic monologue in a leather dress, Sydney’s Queen of Variety and Vaudeville, Toni Lamond; Parisian dance siren, Holly Durant and International cabaret sensation, Meow Meow.
These performances will be jam-packed into two hours of Variety and set amongst a den of velvet, a six-metre catwalk, intimate tables and Chinese lanterns. But despite this lustrous exterior, Finucane reaffirms the substance behind her work.
“It’s the grit that makes the pearl. The show is passionate, powerful and with the humanity of these performers, they bring an unleashed sensuality that will make audiences feel alive and thrilled to be human.”
Nov 15-24, York Theatre, Seymour Centre, cnr City Rd & Cleveland St, Chippendale, $25-60, 9351 7940, seymourcentre.com
