For only two nights, in the month of November, could you witness and be a part of the Bombshell Burlesque: Sweet Dreams experience which featured as part of the Wonderland Festival 2019. The show appeared to be sold out at the Powerhouse Theatre which was a venue within the Brisbane Powerhouse. I enjoyed a diverse audience in the theatre who were clearly thrilled by the professional and world class performers on stage.
Many of the audience members were proud supporters of the Bombshell Burlesque Academy as they went wild for each and every act, not to mention when their friends and family members appeared on stage. The audience members provided a good sense of energy for the performers and were enthusiastic about what they witnessed on stage. As outlined in the synopsis online: “...this fast paced, cheeky show features stunning group routines with slick choreography, award winning soloists, aerial performance and just a little touch of danger to bring your showgirl dreams to life...” and the great part about Bombshell Burlesque: Sweet Dreams is that the show really delivered on all fronts.
As is common in live burlesque performance, the audience members frequently expressed admiration for the performers throughout the evening by clapping and whistling. This positive reception escalated the electric bond between the performers and the audience members and ultimately elevated the performance to another level. The MC of the night could almost be described as a game show hostess crossed between a dominatrix - but she also seemed to resemble some form of a goddess! Nevertheless, she was full of mystery and intrigue and worked the audience with consummate ease.
Earlier in the evening, the host of the night walked into the crowd and put her hands on the head of various audience members in an attempt to read their minds to determine their dreams. She seized upon a fellow named ‘Eric’ and endeavoured to hold his dreams responsible for the rest of the show! Whilst there were a number of varying tracks that featured in the performance, a positive aspect to the construction of the show, was the way the choreography matched the creative decisions behind the soundtrack.
Some of the songs featured as part of the soundtrack that night included Enter Sandman, I Dream of Genie and Sweet Dreams. All the tracks were keeping in the theme of the ‘Sweet Dreams’ element to this particular Burlesque performance. One performer even did an amazing fire sticks piece with flaming pastilles that pretty much defied gravity. This performer was blowing walls of flames from her mouth on a level that I have only seen outperformed by legendary Les Jobson from the famous Australian Band The Dreamkillers.
One of the other performers, later in the show, was lowered down from the ceiling in a moon-shaped swing and added a whole new dimension to the expression ‘contortionist’. Another performer was bespeckled in fluorescent body paint, and her eyes were so intriguing it was like she was invoking the Voodoo Lord Samedi… and I know a dark voodoo performance was not going to commence shortly after her act, but it almost felt like it for a second!
Bombshell Burlesque has sold out all performances as part of Wonderland Festival in previous years and after viewing this performance I can clearly see why. The cast from Bombshell Burlesque: Sweet Dreams handed the audience heaven on a stick and a bagful of dreams to take home. Absolutely stunning. Thank-you Bombshell Burlesque, Wonderland Festival and Brisbane Powerhouse. Can’t wait to see what you have coming up around the corner.
Friday 29th Nov - Saturday 30th Nov 2019
Brisbane Powerhouse, Powerhouse Theatre
Donald Gunn