If you imagine yourself at an Ipswich Burlesque and Cabaret evening, you’d be wrong to imagine the camp and clichéd surroundings of Cher’s Burlesque or the grandeur and spectacle of Kidman’s Moulin Rouge, which is far from the reality of it’s namesake. This brings a show far more rough, real and absolutely outstanding.
Lou Safire and Domino DeVile presented “Ipswich’s premier burlesque and cabaret night”, as it celebrates its third year. A show fit to burst with colourful characters to entertain and tease. With showgirl - and boy - antics, cabaret and farce, Safire and DeVile bring this once dark, forbidden and underground world to the surface with devilish delight and a cast who have perfected a variety of disciplines and skills that tantalise the senses.
The line up changes each show, but this particular night had guest performers who blew the audience away. An audience which, while expected to be around 50, fell short of 200 with people turned away at the door. It made for an electric and raw atmosphere.
Eliza DeLite, a London based award-winning burlesque artist of international acclaim, headlined the show with velvet and valor, feathers, a porcelain complexion and sophistication; liquid gold in a dance form.
Organiser and producer Safire is one of the top 50 burlesque performers in the world and also starred in the show. He feels Suffolk needs a place where people can enjoy a night of guilty pleasure. Taking burlesque to a new level he combined circus skills with traditional “freak show” stunts that left some audience members a gasp.
The evening was packed with entertainment, from award-winning magicians Griffin and Jones, famous for their fast banter, chemistry and contagious energy; to local girl Vixen Von Doom, a recent finalist in the Neo Burlesque Competition who awakens you to hellfire with her simply stunning performance of silk and sass.
It was Ruby Wednesday who stole the night. The “punky, bratty princess of the drag world” brought political satire to a whole new level with an acting ability infused into dance beyond any comparison.
Compere Joe Morose, the “dandy prince of cabaret”, had everyone in stitches and kept everything nicely tied together. As nominee of the London Cabaret Awards for Best Host 2015, bringing Morose to the table simply meant The Cheeky Devil’s Club Burlesque evening was loaded with professionalism, proving they meant business. The shows are the stuff dreams and nightmares are made of. Naughty never felt so good.
The next Cheeky Devil’s Club Burlesque will be at KC’s Bar and Nightclub, Saturday, May 28.
Mira Attard-Shareif
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