Upon entering La Gayola, the venue at the Spiegel Garden, you are instantly transported to a world of razzle-dazzle; a place where anything is possible. One even expects Nicole Kidman to come flying from the sky, à la Moulin Rouge, and take us on a journey of frantic songs and dance. Instead, though, the audience is presented with The Burlesque Hour, a show based around a number of random set pieces, sadly many of which fall flat.
The problem is that the actresses don’t really interact with one other, each entering the stage to do their sketch and then leaving backstage, never reacting to the public’s responses, making it feel a bit contrived. In particular, Moira Finucane’s pieces feel especially like fillers and leave the audience bemused, especially Victoriana – a Gothic Revival, where she is dressed in a widow’s outfit and slowly pleasures herself, crying.
On the plus side, Yumi Umiumare adds some real imagination to the show by jumping hyperactively on stage, throwing underwear to the audience, and later on stripping off some beautiful Chinese gowns, while at the same time performing some minor martial arts. Azaria Universe also adds some spice with her The Desert of Love ac, which is both weird and highly amusing.
On the whole, the show is full of hits and misses. When it hits, it’s funny, naughty and entertaining; but when it misses, it leaves you cold and confused.
2/5
Adrian G. Velazquez
