Fringe Freaks
03/02/2019 11:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izmeinaIt’s the most wonderful time of the year. Not miserable grumpy Grinchmas but the Fringe Festival where inner freaks get unleashed and the inner muse does not go out on family friendly creative dates but puts on the red lights and high heels and gets well and truly LAID.
Friday was one such night. Having decided to take no chances on getting cheap tickets for Steampunk Cabaret that night, I had already paid full price to get one for Saturday leaving the evening completely free for other cheap freaky adventures
These turned out to be Kings of Boylesque. A mildly saucy show at the ungodly and totally wasted hour of 6pm (simply because all of the more desirable later spots had already been snaffled by the Drag Divas and Steampunk folks)
Some of these boys looked more like inmates from a Ned Kelly jail break with 1880s beards and outfits. Which makes it all the more amusing when a hairy beardo (with a daggy baggy outfit more ill fitting than David Byrne’s suit in his “Once in a lifetime” video) does the most ridiculously graceful dance moves.
Then there was the hilarious Flashdance routine where a man in full welding garb does a strip tease routine and ends up with nothing to cover his privates but a giant sparkler.
Serious flashing and such a brilliant choice of song.
There was the bearded lady in a long green dress dancing and her pet rabbit swaying to the James Bond movie song “Nobody does it better”
This strip tease went down the rabbit hole very quickly. It was hilarious but had me thinking that I keep thinking of James Bond movie music a lot lately and wondering why no one has yet devoted a Fringe Show to it.
The whole show was fun and fabulous. The Full Monty minus the hats.
Next stop was “Bang Bang” a cabaret / burlesque show devoted to all things Tarantino.
That was supposed to be a 2 hour show starting at 7.30pm with the full price of $25. I had snaffled Rushtix for $17.50 (most shows are 60 minutes long unless indicated otherwise)
It was a 5 minute walk from the Boylesque venue but unlike any other show I have been to, this one had a YUUUGE queue. Not any old demographic but predominantly 60 plus women and a good few easily going on 80. I was beginning to think that I was at the wrong venue because I most definitely was NOT interested in seeing “The Sound of Music” and asked a few to confirm that it was indeed the right line to join.
I was thinking that the 9.30 finishing time was perfect for catching the 10.10pm bus.
But we did not get inside until 7.45. Unlike all the other venues, the seating was not set up in rows for a show but consisted of a bunch of bar stools for about 50 people at the most and sitting room on steps in an arc around the stage. I got an excellent spot only 2 arms length from what looked like a set up for pole dancing.
I was already getting a bit antsy thinking that I am going to miss the last 10 mins of the show on account of catching the bus but when 8pm came and went and still no sign of any Tarantino action, was getting pretty peeved indeed. In the end, the show did not start till 8.20 which with a 2 hour scheduled time meant that I would miss a whole 30 minutes of it.
I have been to a few shows that started 10 or even 15 minutes late but never ever a ridiculous 50.
But then the lights went down and it literally began with a BANG.
The whole thing was brilliant. Very well choreographed, gorgeous and seriously raunchy. Then of course the soundtrack was amazing. So many good songs.
The jail cell dance routine to the tune of INXS “The Devil Inside” which really would make an excellent James Bond movie theme like so so many of the songs
Then there was Chris Isaac’s “Baby’s done a bad bad thing” with some very skimpy cops and an amazing pole dancer in high heels who was literally less than 2 arms lengths away from me. The blokes in the audience had their eyes popping out.
There was circus circle, trapeze and curtains routines, fire eating, strip tease and all sorts of action involving chairs.
It was quite simply the best show I had seen since the Edgar Allen Poe themed haunted girls’ school on the hill.
The first ten minutes had restored the lost goodwill for the wasted 50 minutes and I was pretty much able to remain in the moment and enjoy the show and just accept the fact that I would have to leave 30 minutes early. I had already totally ruined another brilliant show two weeks ago due to concerns about leaving early because the show had started late and no way could I let myself be so dumb again.
But at 9.30 they performed the theme song “Bang Bang” and there was a sudden sense of winding up. The next item wrapped up the whole thing and I had time to leave and linger a while at the Ice cream factory sitting outside the Empyrean tent and listen to all the clapping and cheering while Fuego Carnal was in progress. That one’s got fire eating on steroids and is on the serpent wish list but it is double my usual show budget of $15 to $25.
That was until I heard the opening bars of one of my most favourite songs ever - Lisa Gerrard’s “Host of Seraphim” (technically it is Dead Can Dance but LG does ALL the work)
I could only imagine what fiery choreography was accompanying such sublime and celestial sounds and moved the show from the Wish list to the “Sell my soul to see” list
So the first time I got my knickers in a knot over a late start to a show, it turned out to finish at its scheduled time after all so all that worrying did nothing but ruin the show for me. So I was able to avoid the same mistake on Friday and again it all turned out well.
It is a pity that there are only 2 more nights next weekend for the Tarantino show because it was so good that it is worth going twice. At full price.
I suspect it may have already sold out by then and I already have tickets to other shows on both those evenings.
Next week’s planned shows included a magician and “A Brief History of Drag”
The haunted house will be open until the end of the month so I will wait until the official Fringe World wraps up on Sunday 17th before paying a return visit
In the meantime, I have some serpent homework. Somewhere lurking on my tablet is a collection of Edgar Allan Poe stories. The Cask of Amontillado and the Murders in the Rue Morgue are top of the list. I guess The Raven should also be essential reading along with the House of Usher.
Thanks to the brilliant Coursera Science Fiction online course I did in 2014, I have already read “The Tell Tale Heart” and I know that there are no hidden Easter eggs in that creepy room. Just the incessant thumping from the floor boards that is so loud that it is possible to hear the pounding from the bus stop on the other side of the street.
Friday was one such night. Having decided to take no chances on getting cheap tickets for Steampunk Cabaret that night, I had already paid full price to get one for Saturday leaving the evening completely free for other cheap freaky adventures
These turned out to be Kings of Boylesque. A mildly saucy show at the ungodly and totally wasted hour of 6pm (simply because all of the more desirable later spots had already been snaffled by the Drag Divas and Steampunk folks)
Some of these boys looked more like inmates from a Ned Kelly jail break with 1880s beards and outfits. Which makes it all the more amusing when a hairy beardo (with a daggy baggy outfit more ill fitting than David Byrne’s suit in his “Once in a lifetime” video) does the most ridiculously graceful dance moves.
Then there was the hilarious Flashdance routine where a man in full welding garb does a strip tease routine and ends up with nothing to cover his privates but a giant sparkler.
Serious flashing and such a brilliant choice of song.
There was the bearded lady in a long green dress dancing and her pet rabbit swaying to the James Bond movie song “Nobody does it better”
This strip tease went down the rabbit hole very quickly. It was hilarious but had me thinking that I keep thinking of James Bond movie music a lot lately and wondering why no one has yet devoted a Fringe Show to it.
The whole show was fun and fabulous. The Full Monty minus the hats.
Next stop was “Bang Bang” a cabaret / burlesque show devoted to all things Tarantino.
That was supposed to be a 2 hour show starting at 7.30pm with the full price of $25. I had snaffled Rushtix for $17.50 (most shows are 60 minutes long unless indicated otherwise)
It was a 5 minute walk from the Boylesque venue but unlike any other show I have been to, this one had a YUUUGE queue. Not any old demographic but predominantly 60 plus women and a good few easily going on 80. I was beginning to think that I was at the wrong venue because I most definitely was NOT interested in seeing “The Sound of Music” and asked a few to confirm that it was indeed the right line to join.
I was thinking that the 9.30 finishing time was perfect for catching the 10.10pm bus.
But we did not get inside until 7.45. Unlike all the other venues, the seating was not set up in rows for a show but consisted of a bunch of bar stools for about 50 people at the most and sitting room on steps in an arc around the stage. I got an excellent spot only 2 arms length from what looked like a set up for pole dancing.
I was already getting a bit antsy thinking that I am going to miss the last 10 mins of the show on account of catching the bus but when 8pm came and went and still no sign of any Tarantino action, was getting pretty peeved indeed. In the end, the show did not start till 8.20 which with a 2 hour scheduled time meant that I would miss a whole 30 minutes of it.
I have been to a few shows that started 10 or even 15 minutes late but never ever a ridiculous 50.
But then the lights went down and it literally began with a BANG.
The whole thing was brilliant. Very well choreographed, gorgeous and seriously raunchy. Then of course the soundtrack was amazing. So many good songs.
The jail cell dance routine to the tune of INXS “The Devil Inside” which really would make an excellent James Bond movie theme like so so many of the songs
Then there was Chris Isaac’s “Baby’s done a bad bad thing” with some very skimpy cops and an amazing pole dancer in high heels who was literally less than 2 arms lengths away from me. The blokes in the audience had their eyes popping out.
There was circus circle, trapeze and curtains routines, fire eating, strip tease and all sorts of action involving chairs.
It was quite simply the best show I had seen since the Edgar Allen Poe themed haunted girls’ school on the hill.
The first ten minutes had restored the lost goodwill for the wasted 50 minutes and I was pretty much able to remain in the moment and enjoy the show and just accept the fact that I would have to leave 30 minutes early. I had already totally ruined another brilliant show two weeks ago due to concerns about leaving early because the show had started late and no way could I let myself be so dumb again.
But at 9.30 they performed the theme song “Bang Bang” and there was a sudden sense of winding up. The next item wrapped up the whole thing and I had time to leave and linger a while at the Ice cream factory sitting outside the Empyrean tent and listen to all the clapping and cheering while Fuego Carnal was in progress. That one’s got fire eating on steroids and is on the serpent wish list but it is double my usual show budget of $15 to $25.
That was until I heard the opening bars of one of my most favourite songs ever - Lisa Gerrard’s “Host of Seraphim” (technically it is Dead Can Dance but LG does ALL the work)
I could only imagine what fiery choreography was accompanying such sublime and celestial sounds and moved the show from the Wish list to the “Sell my soul to see” list
So the first time I got my knickers in a knot over a late start to a show, it turned out to finish at its scheduled time after all so all that worrying did nothing but ruin the show for me. So I was able to avoid the same mistake on Friday and again it all turned out well.
It is a pity that there are only 2 more nights next weekend for the Tarantino show because it was so good that it is worth going twice. At full price.
I suspect it may have already sold out by then and I already have tickets to other shows on both those evenings.
Next week’s planned shows included a magician and “A Brief History of Drag”
The haunted house will be open until the end of the month so I will wait until the official Fringe World wraps up on Sunday 17th before paying a return visit
In the meantime, I have some serpent homework. Somewhere lurking on my tablet is a collection of Edgar Allan Poe stories. The Cask of Amontillado and the Murders in the Rue Morgue are top of the list. I guess The Raven should also be essential reading along with the House of Usher.
Thanks to the brilliant Coursera Science Fiction online course I did in 2014, I have already read “The Tell Tale Heart” and I know that there are no hidden Easter eggs in that creepy room. Just the incessant thumping from the floor boards that is so loud that it is possible to hear the pounding from the bus stop on the other side of the street.
