Brahaha @ Zoo Roxy 10 August 2010

Burlesque is currently the entertainment of choice for the masses – the promise of sultry, glamorous women taking their clothes off as art is a heady temptation for men and women. But the striptease aspect of a burlesque performance is only a part of the tradition with pastiche, parody and satire being vital features within the other acts – most commonly comedy, magic and circus – and in the striptease itself.

A burlesque performance aims to be just that – a performance. Here, the audience are instead treated to a package show of uncohesive acts. Perhaps more time for MC Will Hodgson to banter and discuss the acts, rather than blithely exaggerate their skills and talent, would help to remedy the randomness and speed of the evening. It may also help if the stand-up comedians ditched their jeans and sneakers, glaringly obvious against the glamorous costumery of the striptease artists.

The choice of venue leaves a lot to be desired: the black box looms almost menacing in its sparseness compared to a dinner theatre stage with elaborate backdrops or lush curtains. The tired seating creates a distance that many of the performers are unable to traverse, the space itself making it that much more difficult to generate a night of audience engagement and satiric reverie.

A different line-up each night throughout the festival, this particular performance featured burlesque routines by Cat Aclysmic, Kiki Kaboom and the woman behind it all, Kitty Cointreau. MC Will Hodgson mixed it up with stand-up comedians Addy Van Der Borgh and Matt Green, with magicians Morgan and West completing the night’s bill.

Despite an impressive history as a burlesque performer in Edinburgh, Cat Aclysmic fails to wow as the opening act. Her Shakin’ All Over: The Powder Puff Act was a contrived prance incorporating sultry simpers, hair tossing and the occasional gesture to a pink powder puff. The highlight is her incredible corset.

Her later routine, Sister Suffragette, was more promising but at the end it seemed the message was that the contemporary equivalent of gaining a political voice is the validity of the shedding of one’s clothes. Cat’s nipple twirling and fire-eating skills are certainly impressive, though they lack relevance beyond the hint of burning one’s bra in this routine.

The star of the night was easily Kiki Kaboom with her engaging and fabulously confronting routine The Chav. Shabbily tarted-up, Kiki thrusts her body around, heckling her audience with “you wanna see my tits?” Kiki presents (finally) social tension within a striptease, a comical yet surprisingly alluring take on that beloved charmer.

Will Hodgson starts out wonderfully with his pink-haired fabulousness but the performers do not fulfil his increasing insistence of their talent and style. Magicians Morgan and West successfully build the energy of the evening with their anything-but “rubbish card tricks” and biscuit antics, but the enjoyment is lost again due to the speed of their act, fuelled one assumes by a short slot. Comedian Addy Van Der Borgh entertains with his harmonica and his great physicality in story-telling with fabulous use of effeminate posturing and voices. Matt Green comes on after the magicians to create an entirely different pace with his anecdotal, laid-back style. Unfortunately it feels as if their presence is merely to round out the minimum requirements of a burlesque show.

Kitty Cointreau could easily be the star of the night, waiting till last to perform Feeling Good. However, apart from the swirling beauty of golden glitter and an incredible Victorian skirt, Kitty lacks engagement with her audience, thus rounding off a mediocre show with bland striptease. Perhaps a different line-up could improve matters but this show ain’t got enough of the heady blend of satire and striptease of true burlesque.