Adelaide Fringe 2011
Noir Revue
Sarina del Fuego
Venue: Excess Theatre, Gluttony, Crn East Tce & Grenfell St
Festival: Adelaide Fringe
Low Down
A creature appears roving through the outside crowd. A taste of what is more to come…hopefully. Inside, the mood is set by crestfallen Blue Angel (Anna Voronoff) who teases us with promise of a darkened journey of mysterious sadness and despair, which unfortunately doesn’t quite get there. Whilst the attempt to take the audience on said journey is commendable, this reviewer is still wondering what ‘Over The Rainbow’ has got to do with burlesque or cabaret? A blend of good burlesque interjected with slapstick, aerial acrobatics and strong vocals held the cast together.
Review
Noir Revue is a variety night produced by Sydney based performer Sarina del Fuego. Juggling the diverse chosen acts such as aerial and aerial ring, Sarina produced a worthy show showcasing the more dark and quirky side of burlesque.
Giving us the burlesque classic of striptease but spiced up by the underlining of blue sorrow, Sarina del Fuego and Scarlett Jezebel both mostly move, tease and delight like seasoned professionals. By far, the best act was the cigar and hat routine by Damien Cassidy. This drunken commedia like buffoonery was a pleasant delight in the somewhat dreary show. As the lonesome man stumbles off, we are reminded of the tragic life he leads. Another surprise was the first-rate Sharon Stone routine by Baby Blue Bergman. All I’ll say is, if you like blue then you’ll love this!
To much disappointment, the venue did not do the show justice. The ever so important sound of silence was interrupted by the sounds of the neighbouring events that at times drowned out the acts. Similarly, the stage and set did not do much to assist the Blue Angel’s opening promises. Stripped back and bare to its bones, the stage was simply off-putting. A bit more time could also have been spent on considering lighting angles as at times the performers were standing in the dark…and not on purpose.
The interdisciplinary nature of the show contributes well to the ever changing and evolving burlesque scene. Although, there was not much response by the crowd (some cheering and applauding was definitely needed), Noir Revue is a show makes this genre more accessible to new burlesque audience members.
With a line-up that I was hoping to cheer whistle at, Noir Revue did not manage to stir the emotions they were hoping for in their audience. Very rarely were we removed from our safety harness and able to free-fall into the darkness.
Overall, Noir Revue was a good show. It was classy and sophisticated but needed to be a bit slicker with a lot more tease. My journey was not one of dark despair or emotional heartache but rather slight boredom blended with a few laughs and gasps. Based on the talents of the performers and the effort taken to include some risky acts, it could have been just an off-night for the cast that normally would have you screaming for more!
