Velvet Brings The World Of Disco To The Garden Of Unearthly Delights – Adelaide Fringe Review

The Garden Of Unearthly Delights’ Vagabond, Wed Feb 18 The 80s are often touted as the era of excess, but I’m here to tell you that it all began in the ‘70s! Sequins, bedazzled Lycra, mirror balls and a burgeoning experimental drug culture all fuelled a new kind of music: disco. Velvet is a celebration of the glamour and excess of the ‘70s, the euphoria of disco music and how it all combined to free people to live in an exuberant boogie wonderland. Inhibitions be damned, and someone pass the pills! Australia’s own disco queen, Marcia Hines, spearheads a truly exceptional cast who are never out-shone even by Marcia’s phenomenal stage presence. There are so many highlights in the performance it is a disservice to single out a few, but some special mentions are: Marcia Hines singing I Feel Love while the whole ensemble evoke a languidly paced BDSM scene 1000 times sexier than 50 Shades could hope to achieve; Perle Noire’s spectacular, powerful, seductive, complexly emotional striptease; Brendan MacLean’s touching ukulele version of Staying Alive; Craig Reid’s hilarious and skilful hula hoop display; Stephen Williams throwing away his bedazzled biker gear to scale new heights in aerial acrobatics (and making many women and men in the room audibly pant with lust); and finally, Marcia Hines singing Never Knew Love Like This Before – there was so much love in the room for Marcia that it felt like we could tip into a 500-strong orgy at any moment. Director Craig Ilott has seamlessly woven an electrifying combination of music, acrobatics, comedy and a subtle coming out story into the Adelaide Fringe show that everyone will be talking about. Put on your giant Afro wig and sparkly playsuit and experience what happens beyond the velvet rope: Velvet is the show of the 2015 Fringe. Lynette Washington Velvet continues at The Garden Of Unearthly Delights’ Vagabond until Sun Mar 15. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.