Review: Plus Postage and Handling – Late Night Delivery at Connections Nightclub

Plus Postage and Handling – Late Night Delivery at Connections Nightclub
Saturday, December 7, 2024

Local duo Mistress Mustang and Seraphina le Dauncer, the Audacious Cougars themselves, brought Plus Postage and Handling to Connections Nightclub, an evening primarily of burlesque, which also included some pole, live music, and a splash of drag. The show focused on performers over forty—the inspiration and meaning behind the title itself—and a well-delineated niche in Perth’s quite saturated arts scene.

Easily the highlight of the night was London-based Ginger MisDemeanour, the self-styled Mistress of Stupidity. Ginger buzzed across the stage waving gymnastic ribbons to a xylophone version of Flight of the Bumblebee before they took a big blue pill and pollinated a prop flower as the music transitioned to Britney’s Work Bitch. It was a performance of chaotic good that stayed on the rails by the merest bee sting of width.

Separately, Seraphina le Dauncer brought Little Girls from the musical Annie to the floor with an understated sense of comedy and fabulous flexibility, while the Jalapeno Honeys found their eighties inspiration from a completely different direction, dressed in Jane Fonda-style fluoro leotards, all high energy and fluid jazzercise to Flashdance’s Maniac.

From the musical Nine, A Call from The Vatican—an actual real song title—scored Brenda Wee’s performance as she channelled her best Penelope Cruz, all blue sequins and huge ginger hair, as she sinuously slid herself around a gigantic phone andset. By the end of it all, most everybody in Connections wanted, nay, needed to be the Guido that Brenda was cooing to.

With twelve routines, two MCs, and eighteen different artists, each bringing their own unique energy to the proceedings, Plus Postage and Handling was a festive treat full to overflowing. It was also a strong testament that performing in the arts does not end at thirty, showcasing the wide variety of this mature talent across the city.

In summary, this late-night delivery was an unabashed delight, shared with a knowledgeable, passionate, and welcoming community, both on and off the stage.

PAUL MEEK