Review: Club D’amour: Back Door at The Pleasure Garden
Club D’amour: Back Door at The Vault at The Pleasure Garden
Friday, February 2, 2024
Few shows are as reliably spectacular as those produced by Western Australian company Tone & Cheek, and their most recent debut, Club D’amour: Back Door, is no exception.
Returning to the world of Club D’Amour after several successful Fringe World seasons, the company, known for their debaucherous, high-octane burlesque, dance, circus, aerials and live vocals, returned for a substantial run at The Vault at the Pleasure Garden. With the benefit of a sold-out, packed venue and an eager audience, Club D’amour: Back Door dazzled on Friday night with high-energy routines, immersive moments of laugh-out-loud comedy and deeply sensual characters and scenes.
Transporting audiences back in time to an era of decadent French sexuality and eroticism, audiences were invited to explore this new world through the eyes of a nervous but intrigued couple who stumbled across the club. Through the pair’s excited exploration of the tantalising scenes and interactions with each beloved Club D’amour character, the audience vicariously immersed themselves in the deeply flirtatious, risque world of the show, which sought only to ask, ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’
Boasting an exceptional cast of local and interstate talent, the high quality of Club D’amour: Back Door was reflective of the sheer talent of its cast. Leading the cast as the madam of the night and sexual virgil-esque spirit guide through the delights of the Club was award-winning drag superstar Fay Rocious. Rocious skillfully drew from the energy of the crowd, responding with lightning-fast wit and humour, and on occasion, sardonic ‘explanations’ for the less adventurous audience members. Her on-stage charisma paired perfectly with the high-octane acts, keeping the crowd consistently engaged and raucously invested in the show’s characters and plots.
Returning beloved Club D’amour cast members included Mx Burlesque 2022 Champion and The Proud Award’s 2023 Entertainer of the Year Matthew Pope, STAR Awards Showgirl of the Year Melina Mall, vocal powerhouse Amber Scates, and award-winning performer, choreographer and the show’s producer Natalie Oakes. Returning for the new season, award-winning interstate artists Christian Nimri (QLD), Alfie D’Elia (VIC) and Saint Eve (NSW) joined the cast, contributing their personal skills and quirky characters to the motley crew.
Moving through high-paced, intricate group dance routines into steamy solos, dups and trios, each member of the cast contributed a personal flair and flavour to the show, standing alone and perfectly complementing their fellow performers. Highlights from the night included Pope, D’Elia and Nimri’s steamy aerial trapeze act, Mall’s pole routine, and Oakes and Nimri’s visually stunning and soapy sideshow straps routine, combining fire, dance and aerial straps in a stunning display.
Scates’ passionate and punchy vocals were anything but ‘background’, giving the show a critical third dimension and heightening moments of intense emotion, sexuality and connection between performers and the audience. Scate’s delivery of an original song for the show was a lyrical triumph.
Compliments are also owed to the set and costume design throughout the show. Transforming The Vault into a world of dark corners and atmospheric lighting where anything seemed possible, the addition of several balcony spaces and stairs created additional dynamism on stage and were well utilised.
There were some minor sightline issues for those on the outskirts of the venue’s seating, but for the most part, carefully choreographed action across the stage made up for this. Watching the cast emerge in the ever-changing ensemble of extravagant and salacious costumes was also a highlight of the performance, quickening the pace of the show and never allowing the audience to lose interest.
Connoisseurs of dangerous delights, scandal, sensuality and spectacle will delight in Club D’amour: Back Door with its intoxicating cast, impressive performances and non-stop laugh-out-loud moments. Club D’amour: Back Door will be showing at Fringe World until Sunday, February 18.
BEC WELDON
