Peter & Bambi Heaven ~ The Magic Inside: Hilarious Fun From This Pair Of Dancing Illusionists – Adelaide Cabaret Festival Review

Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Fri 23 Jun. All the way from (supposedly) the Gold Coast, this pair of ‘dancing illusionists’ early on promised a ‘triple threat’ show of ‘dance, magic and more dance’, but it was mostly dance, albeit dance of a most hilariously cringing sort, and all in the best possible (bad) taste. Peter Heaven (a sort of contemporary and somewhat deranged-looking Donny Osmond) and his true love Bambi (a former stripper and cage-dancer who forgot she wasn’t meant to get it off at times) cooed glowingly of their gooey romantic bond while knocking off a selection of numbers that had the audience laughing – and gasping. And highlights of particular note included: the opener, with goofy tricks and goofier dancing to the tune of Abracadabra; Bambi’s boot-scootin’, bubble-gummin’ and jump-ropin’ to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’ infamous Achy Breaky Heart; Peter’s revealingly environmentally-conscious tribute to the Great Barrier Reef; and a late-on showstopper that brilliantly combined four subjects guaranteed to embarrass: Bryan Adams, karaoke, expressive dancing and… um… some full-blooded comic genius, shall we say. One of the Cabaret Festival’s best and funniest offerings, and it’s only on for one more night, so see it for the awkward hoofing, see it for the ghastly ‘80s music, see it for the ‘amazing’ (or maybe not) hypnosis, see it for the surprise nude bits, and see it to believe it. 4.5 stars Dave Bradley Peter & Bambi Heaven: The Magic Inside continues at Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Adelaide Convention Centre Lawns, from 10pm on Sat 24 Jun. Book at BASS on 131 246 and bass.net.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. Image courtesy of Simon Schluter #AdCabFest