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 In 2004 MOIRA FINUCANE was told her show THE BURLESQUE HOUR wouldn’t work – that it would “never attract more than a fringe and alternative body.” Now, six years later, she tells VASQAL how her version of burlesque has won audiences worldwide.
Burlesque is a tricky thing to characterise. Look it up in the dictionary and it’ll come up with something like a “ludicrous or mocking imitation,” or “variety show with ribald humour and striptease.” It has experienced a revival in recent years focused on glamorous striptease – and not much more (think Pussycat Dolls before their singing “career” took off). Moira Finucane, however, describes traditional burlesque as “a mockery, a grotesquery, a parody and exaggeration. It was a form of satire ... that criticised the social norm.” This traditional idea is the basis for The Burlesque Hour and what makes it the amazing show it has become.
Taking inspiration from a huge diversity of art forms – including Japanese manga and gothic horror – The Burlesque Hour is a return to the gritty origins of burlesque, where people are shocked and delighted by what they see. It debuted in Melbourne’s Fortyfivedownstairs (a not-for-profit theatre and gallery) in 2004 and “the night it premiered we sold out the whole season.” Its success was, of course, no fluke.
Moira had been a performer and writer for 15 years prior to this new show, giving her the experience and talent to make the project work. She continued her partnership with theatre creator, director and friend Jackie Smith. Together they created something different, something audiences of all walks of life are entranced by.
The Burlesque Hour “has become wilder and wilder over the years.” Not only because both audiences and performers crave new material, but also because Moira and her team have collaborated with various artists of different media worldwide. In Brisbane, they’re working with Brian Lucas, “a local hero” of “dance with a dark twist”.
“What Jackie and I do,” Moira says, “is start with the known and go into the unknown.” For example, you’d be familiar with the classic burlesque act where the woman is covered in balloons and slowly pops one at a time. For her finale, Moira adds a twist to that. She dances in a red velvet bikini covered in metal spikes on a stage with 150 red balloons around her. She calls this act the Queen of Hearts and “she goes off with a bang.”
Pushing the boundaries was of some concern for Moira, mainly in regards to whether an act would be too much – or not enough – for the audience. However, she knows her fans come to the shows with different experiences, so she “never assumes we are more shocking or more sophisticated they are.” She merely offers them a journey into what she calls “burlesque macabre”.
Wherever Moira and The Burlesque Hour go, there is one thing critics always say: “I thought I knew something about burlesque – but I knew nothing.” So, now it is Brisbane’s turn to learn exactly what burlesque is all about.
THE BURLESQUE HOUR premieres in Brisbane on Tuesday Dec 21 and runs until Thursday December 23 at the Brisbane Powerhouse. Ph: 3358 8600 / www.brisbanepowerhouse.org
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