Dear fellow supporters of free expression,

I have had a review, a less than complementary one at that, sitting in the draft file for a while now, not quite sure when to post it. Circumstances seem to have emerged such that it seems timely to make a comment about a certain establishment in Adelaide owned by the Booze Brothers chain, known as The Boho Bar.

Located on Unley Road, a hop skip and stagger away from Adelaide city, The Boho Bar describes itself thus on its website

“Indulge your sense in true bohemian spirit. Boho incorporates the nostalgic elements of the circus, the old burlesque sideshows and classic, bohemian cabaret theatres - and mixes them with a sleek, modern service and a kaleidoscope of sounds, light and movement. Its menu is bursting with colour & flavour with a fantastic selection of tapas style dishes and platters. Lavish, cheeky, sinister and enticing…”

I attribute the Adelaide Fringe for the rise in local Boho Chic, which in itself is not a bad thing, but when a venue seeks to make this its raison d’etre, well – I expect a certain standard to be achieved.

I’ll say it up front, The Boho Bar is to the French Parisian Café and Burlesque Hall what PJ O’Briens is to Irish Pubs. It’s a plastic paddy pub in a beret. Instead of fiddles, road signs pointing to Dublin and hurling sticks, its repro-french furniture, bad stage sets and cabinets with early 20th century entertainment flotsam and jetsam. Strip back the superficial fleur-de-lys patina and you would have a standard steel framed, television lined sports bar.

Yes, they serve absinthe, or rather ‘absinth’ – of the most atrocious and overpriced kind.  More to the point they seem happy to charge an extra $5 on each cocktail for using “King of Spirits Absinth” which isn’t fit to disinfect my toilet basin, and nary a true absintheur would disagree (i.e. so bad we find it hard to justify purchasing a bottle to review). And they burn their absinthe for heaven’s sake, showing their schtick for cheap theatrics extends to the bar.

Now, the downward spiral has continued, with this establishment being reported in the Adelaide Advertiser as now implementing a “No Drag” policy.  Sorry, come again?  A bar that supposedly embraces the “true bohemian spirit”  is bothered by cross dressers?

The paper reports that Male-to-female transgender retail worker Susan was refused entry to The Boho Bar while out with three non-cross-dressing friends.  When she contacted Booze Brothers co-director Leon Saturno two days later seeking an explanation she was told there was a new policy that “no cross-dressers would be allowed anymore”.

Well, I think the more discerning Bohemian in Adelaide can probably find much more accommodating neo-Bohemian establishments in Adelaide that serve much better absinthe anyway - but it shits me that an establishment riding on the coattails of an attitude and aesthetic, that by its very nature embraces and promotes individuality and difference, may allegedly be implementing a policy of discrimination.

Might I suggest that all within the Burlesque arts and Bohemian culture think about reposting the Adelaide Advertiser article on their blogs and websites. Perhaps this will let Mr Saturno know exactly what the community thinks about his policy.

Methinks maybe it is time to relegate Boho alongside the likes of other theme restaurants like the Medieval Dirty Dicks ?

What is burlesque? What is neo-burlesque? Where do allied performing arts interface and intersect with either, or both?.

Circus. Cabaret. Vaudeville. Show Girl/Boy. Dance. Physical Theatre.

Why am I asking?

A Deli Burlesque has thrown up some challenges to me – about what I expected to see, versus what I saw.  Performers Emmaline Macartney and Gemma Falk presented a series of vignettes that straddled a number of genres, some sitting within traditional territory, others less so. They themselves describe it as a show of cross-pollination. And it is only natural, both are devotees and proficient in no small number of disciplines. As the late Robert A Heinlein wrote “Specialisation is for insects”.

Just to cover a selection of the performances

“Babes on Bikes” was a Newton-Johnesque routine on exercise bikes that exuded 80’s jazzercise glam, but at the same time was a little open ended as to the intended narrative.

“Bride” was a solo piece by Gemma Falk that mixed mime and dance in a story arc of the descent into deadening domesticity often hidden beneath the happy billows of the wedding gown.

“The Underwater Hula-Rena” was a standout hoop routine by Emmaline Macartney that made this prop an aquatic metaphor to great effect.

There was more than a cursory nod to the traditional arts, with an elegant and sensual “Lady Bird Fan Dance” by Ms Falk, that was a dancing wildlife documentary complete with David Attenborough commentary.

Emmaline’s most striking physical theatre piece, albeit minimalist, also invoked something of the sensuality of burlesque. Titled “MADE (Pandora is…)” , like a forest dryad she emerged from the foliage and sprouted into a natural bloom, counterbalanced by the eventual decay and decomposition, a return to the metaphorical humus. It was quite a powerful performance, and again seemed to achieve their lofty aims of developing a neo-burlesque style that draws from very different performance traditions.

Because what they are doing is so new, I think there may be some expecting more traditional fare who might react negatively to what was performed. But I think you need to let it incubate a bit, question your own preconceptions and biases, and question whether burlesque is really a museum exhibit or a tradition under active evolution.

Remaining performances are sold out but keep these two on your memory list - I suspect there will be further Dawinian transformation in Fringe Festivals to come.

The Promethean Theatre, an Edwardian era Church, one time Liquor Trade Union Hall, now a gothic grey and plush velvet performance venue, is an excellent and intimate location for a witty night of bad German accents and cabaret.

Supported by the virtuosic Berlin Cabaret Micro Orchestra (read three piece jazz ensemble), Gerhardt, Lux and Rudi play up to every hokey hun caricature straddling the Weimar era and period of Nazi ascension.

Gerhardt was the charming, crooning Master of Ceremonies for the evening, with plenty of bad-but-good puns and blue banter. Lux is the resident alcoholic lush, strutting the stage in fishnets, corsetry and wine bottle belting out her particular penchant for American jazz numbers. Overplayed to the max, but then I think this is a necessity (even if her German accent seemed to be sliding at times into Slavic territories like all so many invasions of the era).  Supporting act, the Tin Can Alley, are an extremely talented and ageing decadent duo who specialise in catchy cabaret – from well known standard such as “Non, je ne regrette rien”, or more obscure Indian show tunes about oversized tomatoes (in Hindi!)

The gangly, shy and awkward Rudi, however, steals the show.  One minute delivering operatic overtures with Wagnerian largesse, next (un)dressed as ol’ Adolf himself in a fetching negligee.  His voice is either angelic or infernal as the tune and context demands. Glorious stuff.

I’m not sure what it is about this particular company of performers, but the average age of the audience was closer to 60, which I found curious – but maybe the “classic” form of Weimer cabaret holds an appeal for the older set that differentiates them from the new generation of neo-cabaret. At the very least it demonstrates that the cabaret and vaudeville arts still hold a broad appeal across many generations, and that the Fringe is not just for the young and tragically Boho.

The Berlin Cabaret have two more performances this Fringe - alas all sold out. But keep an eye out for them at other events such as the Adelaide Cabart Festival.

Bogan’s are funny. And so are Catholics (thanks Tony Abbott). Regional centres where the world is as big as the town limits are will always be funny as long as it is mixed with a dose of nostalgic & affectionate pathos.

Make it into a musical gala and you have WrongTown.  Think of the Andrew Sisters after a drug binge. Performing in an outer suburban Westfield. Outside a Supré.

But oh, these girls can sing.

Why a musical tribute to the Snowtown Murders in the form of the Beer Barrel Polka (aka Roll Out The Barrel) has not been done before is beyond me?  If tour buses can now stop at the infamous disused bank in Snowtown so tourists can sniff under the door, then I say enough time has passed for us to laugh through song and wimsy at one of the more recent episodes in Adelaide’s Bizarre Murder Capital scrapbook of infamy.

Of course the mid-North Coast’s very own “Summer Bay” with industrial slag & drag, Newcastle, is not forgotten.  And if it wasn’t for the fact that Jetstar has tricked many a passenger flying to Melbourne, by taking them to Avalon Airport instead, well, would anyone know that Geelong existed?

But far from the industrial and residential wastelands often portrayed, these places are hotbeds of intrigue, with a song in the fractured heart of all these places: married mothers discovering lesbianism, Catholic schoolgirls in need of confession, burgeoning drug cultures amid Americanisation of white bread rural youth and suburban murder tales worthy of their own ballads.

WrongTown is your town. Admit it -  you grew up, got trapped, maybe escaped, and possibly returned to places like this. And when you can acknowledge that, WrongTown will stay in your mind for all the right reasons.

The promise of music, magic noir, comedy, escapology and modern vaudeville drew me to this performance held at Live on Light Square.  I came away feeling like a promise had not been quite fulfilled.

I would like to emphasise though the ability of many of the performers cannot be faulted. The first magician, Jamie, while being a bit of a nervous chap was very adept, and certainly his confidence and projection carried increasing weight as his performance progressed.  Consuming a banana full of razorblades and a classic escape from a straight jacket was well executed adorned with some quite witty banter.

Matt the Mentalist came across quite reserved and shy, but this is part of an act where the harmless introvert unexpectedly proves an uncanny ability to dig into the unsuspecting mind, innocently read body mannerisms and reveal that which is hidden – or have an unwitting audience member perform some quite dangerous acts.

Then came Dan the comedian.  Billed as confronting and politically incorrect, frankly he was a bore who told dirty jokes that related modes of transport to sex acts with a complete absence of comedic timing and delivery. This was the evening’s achilles heel if anything.

Concluding the evening was the most debonaire MC/magician Kamal who delivered some nicely delivered comedic moments amongst some quite simple but impressive trickery. If the whole performance can infuse a good lick of his delivery and savoir-fair in future it will solidify the dynamics for their next performance on the 12 March 2010.

I must sympathise with the performers though, in that the venue decided to start the doof doof music of its neighbouring dance club before the performance had even finished – rather bad form I thought.

One of the great things about getting off the Garden of Unearthly Delights trail for the Fringe is discovering some of Adelaide’s less well known performance venues, such as the Holden Street Theatre housed within a delightful sandstone heritage church building.

On this occasion I am here to be delighted by the Vari-A-Tease troupe who have successfully assembled a broad cast of performers highlighting tremendous individuality and artistic flair.

Mr Gorsky was the first act, with some classic performance mime and balance work invoking physical comedy archetypes reminiscent of Chaplin or Keaton – whether fighting against an ill wind that blow’eth his way or demonstrating his dexterities with a derby on his dome, his routines were extremely well staged.

Kitty van Horne is the sort of school teacher you remember fondly about, elegant, stylish but always the sense there was something hidden and noir about her.  Thus emerges her alter ego, The Queen of the Nile, who belts out show tunes to gyrations and gutsy gesticulations guaranteed to bring your father to the next parent teacher night.

Maxi Man blurs the gender divide with a very Victor Victoria woman being a man being a woman routine. Dark, dirty and evocative with rampant use of processed smallgoods. Beware of her bung fritz dear Fringe-dwellers.

The Divine Danica Lee oozes sensuality and sass with her classic fan dance burlesque and highly imaginative rendition of events in the Garden of Eden – if she had been teaching bible class I’m sure I would have paid more attention, although with commensurately more reason for frequent confession.

Speaking of the infernally good, Cherry Valens showed us the Devil inside her with catchy well choreographed bump and grind, her routines extending to south of the border down me-hi-co way in some classic Tex Mex tease.

Poppy T - bright and stygian in equal measures – inviting us to an evil night together in a modern burlesque number or something more turn of the century with fine Belle Epoque sensibilities and titillation.

Whether flinging herself on a horizontal pole as everyone’s favourite living dead doll, adorned in shibari rope and PVC, or revealing the naughty world of bored housewives discovering how much joy a wooden spoon, decent cake mixture and a Britney Spears soundtrack can bring, Zahra Stardust is a truly versatile performer.

Liam Power added some conjuration and illusion to the proceedings with simple but clever card tricks (with oversized audience friendly cards so we could genuinely ooh and aah over his hand quicker than eye machinations), and supplementing his iron intake with a fist full of steel pins down the gullet.

And then there was the crowd favourite, Missy, acrobatic aerialist pole dancer extraordinaire who brought us a Puck in the Green fantasy routine, like some untamed wild Maenad but showing great discipline and skill in her balance and movement.  Her mechanoid Android routine left no one sleeping, let alone dreaming of electric sheep.

With remaining shows tonight (Friday 26 February) and tomorrow night (Saturday 27 February), both at 10.30pm, there is time to get out now and see the show – let them give you a damn good Variateasing while you can!

Salutations Libertarian’s all,

there is a smorgasboard of decadent entertainment, titillation and whimsy coming in a few short weeks with the Adelaide Fringe on our doorstep once more.  We will be giving extra attention to the burlesque arts this year with the following on our shopping list:

Vari-A-Tease – with the divine Danica Lee, mischievous Missy and a cast of performers delivering a menu of burlesque, vaudeville, magic and cabaret.

A Deli Burlesque – A cross-pollination of neo-burlesque and vintage charm.
Babes on bikes; hula-hoop aerobics; exotic bird rituals and more.

Burlesque Beauties - Reminiscent of 1920s, 30s, 40s and50s, three sassy burlesque beauties present their unique blend of classic burlesque, comedy, music and vintage sass.

For events closer to hand – 2pm Saturday the 13th of February at Gallery Serpentine, in Newtown (Sydney) are having  special Valentine Day event, with Jocelyn from the Cult of Scent showcasing a range of new and favourite hand crafted artisan fragrances.

Come and find out which of the Cult of Scent perfume best suits you and - if you’re very very nice -get your bottle of Cult of Scent perfume customised especially for you!

Happy New Year Antipodean Absintheurs & Libertines

This year, instead of sticking to crusty old New Year’s Resolutions, why not get involved in making a Renew Year’s Resolution?

Urban renewal for artistic endeavour is a growing movement internationally, but probably the best example in Australia has been the Renew Newcastle project. These canny Novocastrians find short and medium term uses for buildings in Newcastle’s CBD that are currently vacant, disused or awaiting redevelopment and matches them with artists, cultural projects and community groups to use.

It is a problem common to all cities - urban sites are boarded up, heavily vandalised or decaying because the is no short term for use them and no one taking responsibility for them.  The Renew Newcastle project has actually been instrumental in turning a primarily industrial and mining town into a thriving arts community, and shaming many a capital city in terms of public accessibility to the arts.

And now it is Adelaide’s turn.  Renew Adelaide is a non-profit, artist run initiative following the lead of Renew Newcastle, that also believe artist and community run spaces have the power to transform cities. Like it’s forerunner, they aim to fill empty spaces and disused buildings in and around the city of Adelaide with artist and community run ventures, with the minimum possible cost to those involved.

Both the Newcastle and Adelaide venture have Facebook groups you can join, so keep up with the developments.

More projects like this should be started nationally, and to help prevent other potential hubs of artistic creativity becoming another Sydney (albeit there is some hope).  Melbourne is on top of it in another way with their CreativeSpaces project.  So what’s going on in your town? - email us and let us know.

Stop Press

By happy coincidence, ABC Radio National program Life Matters featured an interview on the 6 January 10 with Renew Newcastle founder Marcus Westbury on his urban artistic renewal project - mp3 audio available here.

Industry intel from the Just Drinks media group alert us to multinational wine and spirits behemoth Pernod Ricard announcing that it will support emerging visual artists, through a competition featuring its Pernod Aux Plantes d’Absinthe Superieure brand.

The contest will award its first place winner $1805 US in cash with a second place prize of $500 and third place $250. There are plans for a celebratory event to be run concurrently with The Armory Show, the annual international art fair, in New York City.

Brian Eckert, Pernod brand manager for Pernod Ricard USA is quoted as saying “Pernod has been a strong supporter of the arts since the brand debuted in France more than 200 years ago” - a statement I am sure is true if you count keeping bohemian artists in constant creative lubrication.

“Since its debut, Pernod has been a favourite drink among the cultural elite including Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and Poe. We thought it fitting to honour this relationship with a contest that celebrates the artist in us all.”

While some may suggest that these cultural elite were also regarded fringe degenerates by polite society in their time, certainly Pernod Ricard as a modern company are doing their bit to support the arts so they are putting their money where their mouth is.

Interested artists must submit only original works, and all works submitted must include the date 1805, the date the brand was first launched.  Submissions are being accepted until the end of  January, 2010, in the following categories: painting, illustration, photography, video, digital/animation.

Submissions will be accepted entirely online at www.facebook.com/pernodabsinthe.

Important news update antipodean absintheurs of Sydney!

Sometimes investing in an expensive bottle of absinthe does require a little bit of trust - wouldn’t it be good if you could try a range first before making that decision?

Well now you can.

Those providores of Parisian perfection at Absinthesalon have opened a shopfront and imbibing premises of distinction on 87 Albion Street, Surry Hills. With a large range of absinthes to sample, at very reasonable prices, I’m not sure why you are still reading this and not out the door. Or on a plane (if you are interstate)..