Imogen Kelly ~ Bent Burlesque ~ Cabaret Festival Review 2024

[CABARET/Burlesque ~ AUS] Imogen Kelly: Bent Burlesque Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre Sat 22 June, 2024. As the title suggests, Imogen Kelly’s collaborative burlesque experience is not for the prudish or faint- hearted but it delivers something to tickle the fancy of all kinds of folks. From a bizarre strip tease animated by misplaced latex implants and suggestive sausage-slapstick to a regrettably unforgettably, messy Miss Piggy parody, the Bent Burlesque collective brought punters a first half that felt like the brainchild of Jim Henson and John Waters. Think Divine and Meet the Feebles but with an enticing entourage of well-choreographed performers to break up the chaos. The MC for the night was Ruby Slippers, whose seamless punchlines, clownery and candour was a welcome intermission to the intensity of each routine. Cabaret’s “Sultan of Sass”, Reuben Kaye shared the role of host, gracing us with a handful of stellar moments in which he flexed his vocal range and his limbs around unassuming men in the audience causing the room to erupt in hysteria. Whilst a few of the routines seemed a little less polished than others, the majority were brilliantly choreographed and gave everyone a taste of the full spectrum of what cabaret can offer when the capacity for debauchery, wit and talent is limitless. One of the stand-out performances for me would have to be the award-winning Queen of Burlesque, Imogen Kelly’s 1950s style parody of a woman in her bathroom succumbing to an intrusive thought; the act involved a toilet and a rather dishevelled half-melted chocolate bar...need I say more. Another performer who had our jaws on the floor was high-flying pole dance champion Charlie Love, who serenaded the front row with the kind of fluid and flexible dance manoeuvres that make a mockery out of mere mortals (like me) who struggle to touch their toes. This was followed by a mesmerising routine by Miss Burlesque ACT award-winning Jazida whose fanfare of led lights, feathers and slick-wristed choreography held the room in captive silence. The Bent Burlesque extravaganza is definitely not to be missed. A thigh-clenching, cringe-making, devious and mostly hilarious exploration of the hot mess that is humanity in all its glitter and glory. 4 stars Louise Adele #TheClothesline