4 February 2010

The Burlesque Hour: Not Just Tassles and Tease

| TheStreet
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[First Filed Feb 2, 2010]
Burlesque in red

Working at the Street there are a lot of exciting things going on but this one is SUPER DUPER exciting: the return of Finucane & Smith‘s The Burlesque Hour with a new show, appropriately (though perhaps not very inventingly) titled SHE’S BACK!

It’s a new show with some old favourite acts (like Dairy Queen, which involves A LOT OF MILK – first few rows will get wet) and new guest artistes (Jess Love, for instance, who is the Guinness World Record Holder for hula hooping. I can’t wait to see her in action!).

Burlesque Balloons

The artists are so, so interesting – Yumi Umiumare, for instance, is a butoh dancer and trained as a ballerina before working as a burlesque artist in Tokyo. Azaria Universe is a circus performer. Moira Finucane, the co-creator of the Burlesque Hour, is a mistress of Grand Guignol (a style of theatre characterised by grotesquerie and the macabre. ooh!). This ain’t undressing in a martini glass. This is ART, people.

Yes, yes, I am a publicist. But I’m also an arts writer and theatre maker, and talking to Moira Finucane about the show, I think I can safely put my money where my mouth is – it’s going to be flipping amazing.

Naomi

Picture by Jodie Hutchison
(Last picture by Jodie Hutchison)

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colourful sydney racing identity12:57 pm 17 Feb 10

Went along last night and had a great time. Very entertaining – if you get a chance get yourself a ticket.

Hargreaves turned up, allegedly pissed, and according to reports, made a fool of himself………..

So, how was that any different from every other day of his political career?????

georgesgenitals7:33 am 07 Feb 10

realityskin said :

CoffeeGeek said :

Seriously, Johnboy, is this the sort of smut/trash RA is about? Frontpage? Featured?

It’s defnitely NSFW. You don’t even have to be a prude to find this offensive.

Being tagged as “Art” and “Entertainment” is ridiculous.

RA was my daily cup of coffee at work, but not while this remains. How many RAers would be comfortable to have your boss or colleague looking over your shoulder with this on the screen?

[Ed. Johnboy is not currently RA’s editor & didnt make the call on this one.]

I’m more politically incorrect than most, but, I agree … I don’t find it suitable for work …

It’s not suitbale for work. And Johnboy’s comment about removing people from the community is kinda out of line also, I thought.

Can anyone update me on what the controversy was regarding the burlesque event at the multi-cultural festival last year? I wasn’t in Canberra then!

CoffeeGeek said :

Could we please remove the picture from the front page of RA? Some may consider this NSFW, or even offensive.

you don’t happen to work for macquarie do you?

I agree, this looks like a drag show.

NSFW? You obviously don’t read the Daily Telegraph website, or any of the news.com.au empire…

Can we please have the picture taken off the front page I keep having to scroll down cause it freaking me out

grunge_hippy10:08 am 05 Feb 10

sepi said :

Sad that many of those writing rude comments about the performers are actually women too.
It is true that women are their own worst enemies.

yes. because we should know better.

Pommy bastard9:59 am 05 Feb 10

sepi said :

Sad that many of those writing rude comments about the performers are actually women too.
It is true that women are their own worst enemies.

If I sent in an article inviting people to see “The New Adonis, body building and muscleman show”, and it was accompanied by an image of me looking like an anorexic Bez, how do you think the men here would react?

DarkLadyWolfMother9:36 am 05 Feb 10

For what it’s worth, I see this as both ‘Art’ and ‘Entertainment’, but I don’t feel everyone has to agree with me.

As for the NSFW or offensive, I suspect in those same work environments newspapers and magazines would be banned entirely, yes?

CoffeeGeek said :

Seriously, Johnboy, is this the sort of smut/trash RA is about? Frontpage? Featured?

It’s defnitely NSFW. You don’t even have to be a prude to find this offensive.

Being tagged as “Art” and “Entertainment” is ridiculous.

RA was my daily cup of coffee at work, but not while this remains. How many RAers would be comfortable to have your boss or colleague looking over your shoulder with this on the screen?

[Ed. Johnboy is not currently RA’s editor & didnt make the call on this one.]

I’m more politically incorrect than most, but, I agree … I don’t find it suitable for work …

johnboy said :

CoffeeGeek said :

Could we please remove the picture from the front page of RA? Some may consider this NSFW, or even offensive.

And they are best removed from any community.

+1 to both comments here…

Sad that many of those writing rude comments about the performers are actually women too.
It is true that women are their own worst enemies.

Coffeegeek, open your mind. Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Well, poke my eye out with a burnt stick! Offensive? We presume, Mr/Ms Geek, that you don’t read the newspaper at work, because goodness, what if there was one of those ads for underwear? Who on earth could you work for that this would be deemed offensive? Are you an assistant to George Pell?

Pommy bastard3:18 pm 04 Feb 10

CoffeeGeek said :

Seriously, Johnboy, is this the sort of smut/trash RA is about? Frontpage? Featured?

It’s defnitely NSFW. You don’t even have to be a prude to find this offensive.

Yes you do. There is nothing on display you wouldn’t see in any newspaper, magazine, advertising hoarding, shop window, on the beach, or in a club.

Being tagged as “Art” and “Entertainment” is ridiculous.

I’d agree with you on art. Even if they aren’t the most pulchritudinous women, and whom of us is, the show may be easily classed as entertainment..

RA was my daily cup of coffee at work, but not while this remains. How many RAers would be comfortable to have your boss or colleague looking over your shoulder with this on the screen?

>

Most of us it would seem, time for a poll?

CoffeeGeek said :

Seriously, Johnboy, is this the sort of smut/trash RA is about? Frontpage? Featured?

It’s defnitely NSFW. You don’t even have to be a prude to find this offensive.

Being tagged as “Art” and “Entertainment” is ridiculous.

RA was my daily cup of coffee at work, but not while this remains. How many RAers would be comfortable to have your boss or colleague looking over your shoulder with this on the screen?

[Ed. Johnboy is not currently RA’s editor & didnt make the call on this one.]

Smut!?

You are aware that the 1950s took place over 50 years ago, right?

It’s completely safe for work and I fail to see how anyone could find it offensive.

You REALLY need to get out more.

colourful sydney racing identity said :

motleychick said :

grunge_hippy said :

i dont think i would want to see any of those “women” naked. ugh. a few got hit with the ugly stick on the way out…

+1

Burlesque is meant to be sexy. They are not.

If you actaully went and saw it you would probably have a different opinion.

I highly doubt that. I don’t find them attractive so I wouldn’t enjoy it. I know that.

colourful sydney racing identity2:22 pm 04 Feb 10

motleychick said :

grunge_hippy said :

i dont think i would want to see any of those “women” naked. ugh. a few got hit with the ugly stick on the way out…

+1

Burlesque is meant to be sexy. They are not.

If you actaully went and saw it you would probably have a different opinion.

Seriously, Johnboy, is this the sort of smut/trash RA is about? Frontpage? Featured?

It’s defnitely NSFW. You don’t even have to be a prude to find this offensive.

Being tagged as “Art” and “Entertainment” is ridiculous.

RA was my daily cup of coffee at work, but not while this remains. How many RAers would be comfortable to have your boss or colleague looking over your shoulder with this on the screen?

[Ed. Johnboy is not currently RA’s editor & didnt make the call on this one.]

SmileOnTrial12:44 pm 04 Feb 10

Nothing new here. You can see this for free out the front of Cube nightclub on any given Saturday night.

it’s simple if you don’t like it don’t watch it

DarkLadyWolfMother10:37 am 04 Feb 10

Sexy is in the eye of the beholder, I would have thought.

grunge_hippy said :

i dont think i would want to see any of those “women” naked. ugh. a few got hit with the ugly stick on the way out…

+1

Burlesque is meant to be sexy. They are not.

i went along to this last year and thought it was reasonably entertaining… especially being given a plastic tablecloth to wear during the performance (the milk act) as we were seated directly by the stage….. however my friends i took along with me on our little theatre outing thought otherwise. they still bag me out about my theatre outing coordinator abilities :/

johnboy said :

CoffeeGeek said :

Could we please remove the picture from the front page of RA? Some may consider this NSFW, or even offensive.

And they are best removed from any community.

Won’t somebody please think of the children!

CoffeeGeek said :

Could we please remove the picture from the front page of RA? Some may consider this NSFW, or even offensive.

And they are best removed from any community.

grunge_hippy6:34 pm 03 Feb 10

i dont think i would want to see any of those “women” naked. ugh. a few got hit with the ugly stick on the way out…

colourful sydney racing identity4:35 pm 03 Feb 10

Pommy bastard said :

grunge_hippy said :

is it a drag show?

My thoughts too..

If it’s not a drag show, do they actually get their kit off?

Yes – if last year is anything to go by. However if all you’re after is a bit of nudity there would be cheaper options.

Could we please remove the picture from the front page of RA? Some may consider this NSFW, or even offensive.

Pommy bastard2:33 pm 03 Feb 10

grunge_hippy said :

is it a drag show?

My thoughts too..

If it’s not a drag show, do they actually get their kit off?

The only person who can pull off an awesome burlesque show that’s worth watching is Dita von Teese. Least she doesn’t look like a tranny.

colourful sydney racing identity12:05 pm 03 Feb 10

no it is not a drag show. Ms Abe Saffron and myself went to it last year and had a great time.

grunge_hippy10:10 am 03 Feb 10

is it a drag show?

It has been a very long time since there was anything provocative about nudity and saucy underwear,

I seem to recall a year to the day this Friday a bit of a hoo-hah about burlesque at the Multicultural the spelled that particular event’s end. Although noone could quite work out just who it was that thought it was all a bit too risque.

I saw the last show and expected it to be subversive and exciting – but I found it tame and mediocre. It lacked fire and energy. There was an interminable mimed “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – a supposed spoof, but by the umpteenth “turn around turn around” where yes, she turned around again and again and again, I was beyond bored. The “sprayed with milk” piece was hackneyed and dull – 1970s feminist trope anyone? No thanks, it would be sexier to leaf through a Judy Chicago programme and get off on retro platewear. I stayed till the end, but quite a few folk had walked out. The sort of “tango face” the troupe kept throughout is a strange device, perhaps originally an emotional protection from the days when burlesque dancers were treated as “fallen women”. These days, though, it just looks forced and pointless.

It has been a very long time since there was anything provocative about nudity and saucy underwear, so there’s nothing confronting, nothing to learn from. A mere promo short from the new film Precious offered me a more subversive message about proud bodies.

I rated the show – and it looks as though this year’s is pretty much a rehash of the same (how lazy) – four out of ten.

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