By Theodora Galanis
Venturing into the lower levels of the mighty Masonic Hall, Shake It is located in a perfectly peculiar venue, ready for a night of risqué burlesque and circus acts.
Hosted by the naughty-lipped songstress, Minnie Andrews, Shake It provides a tasting platter of what the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival has to offer. For an hour, local performers take to the stage, showcasing their sexy and strange talents.
Minnie Andrews looked adorable in a baby pink princess dress and platinum blonde coiffed hair. Her doll-eyes are fringed with thick lashes that flutter at all the right moments. While her voice has a high pitch and a sweet tone, her hilarious foul-mouthed vocabulary is at odds with her darling looks.
The most outstanding performer was Desert Rose. As the first act of the night, she slinked on stage in a royal blue slip which complemented her fiery red locks. With her super sultry stare and a dancer’s finesse, her performance had the audience clapping and cheering with every tease.
The weird and wonderful Stewart Reeve performed a snippet from his show, Stewart Reeve: Chameleon. In his act, he showcased his vocals abilities in a song from the musical, Avenue Q. While his voice is incredibly agile, unfortunately, his song choice was unfamiliar to most people in the room and he struggled to engage the audience. Noisy interruptions from performers in the backstage wings were also very distracting, although, he handled this hiccup with professional ease, making a joke and then continuing with his song.
Other performances included an awkward strip tease inspired by the Lion King, where the dancer prowled onstage in a fluffy onesie, revealing her fur-clad nipples. This was kind of funny, but again, technical difficulties put the performer off as she struggled to get the choreography in sync with the music. Following this, a hula hoop circus act was well executed, though not without a few failed tricks.
Minnie Andrews ended the show on a high note, performing a jazzy rendition of the 2001 hip-hop smash, “Lick my neck, my back”. With faux innocence and a cheeky smirk, Minnie sings the naughtiest of lyrics while also doing justice to her talent as a powerful vocalist.
Overall, Friday night’s performance of Shake It was a bit rough around the edges – a few blunders dimmed the mysterious glamour that burlesque exudes when performed at its best. It is, however, a great way to see what tickles your fancy, before buying tickets to the performers’ full-length shows.
For last minute date night, or a fun way to end drinks with friends, Shake It is a fabulous offering as part of the Cabaret Fringe Festival. And remember, the beauty of live theatre is that you’ll get something different every time!
All opinions and thoughts expressed within reviews on Theatre Travels are those of the writer and not of the company at large.