Australia’s top stripper Frankie Fatale reveals all

Australia’s #1 Stripper and award-winning producer Frankie Fatale is back at Fringe World this summer with two sizzling shows heating up The Royale Theatre at Planet Royale until Sunday, February 19. Back for its third Fringe season, Frankie Fatale’s Menagerie is an ever-evolving beast that gives voice to some of Perth’s wildest burlesque, drag and variety acts alongside Fatale’s iconic x-rated striptease and lewd brand of stand-up. Another crowd favourite, FANTASIE features Fatale along with an all-star cast, bringing to life her escapist, erotic, and even pornographic fantasies in a Vegas-style revue. BRAYDEN EDWARDS spoke to Frankie Fatale to find out how she is turning the art form of stripping on its head, making it a vehicle for expression, inclusivity and empowerment.

It’s great to have you back at Fringe 2023, with not one, but two shows! Tell us how are the two shows different?

FANTASIE and Menagerie are two very different creatures; Menagerie is a variety show, run by someone who loves to get naked. It’s a full throttle x-rated strip show wrapped around some truly diverse, provocative artists. It’s very unapologetically pro sex-work and First Nations peoples, it’s camp and queer and a bit rock and roll. FANTASIE is a fever dream birthed of eight years creating award-winning solo strip shows. A multitude of sexual fantasies unfold; the patriarchy’s perfect fifties housewife turned sexual deviant, a vengeful ruler of hell bathed in fire, a glistening wet mermaid, a Lord of the Sith and more. How are the two shows similar? Well, I get naked in both!

The Menagerie show is said to feature “inappropriate, taboo and rebellious friends.” Who are these devilish characters?

Missphoria, a powerful First Nations and trans non-binary sex worker, Polynesian Princess Moesha, Lotta L’amour of Moulin Rouge Fame, serpentine drag goddess Danisa Snake and the udderly adored Mae Dae.

Your show FANTASIE also features an all-star cast. What was it about these performers that made them a great fit for this show?

They’re all incredible and it’s been such an honour to have so many amazing people want to be in this show! The number one quality on the list is that they want to do naughty stuff on stage with us, and every one is so fabulous. Jess and Beth are insane dancers, Maven and Bebe bring so much drag and performance art, Ronnie and Gigi are burlesque icons, Jade Ivy and Penny Luck are strippers and showgirls. Jade Ivy and I also do an incredibly steamy stunt fight and aerials show before our neon nude slip and slide.

You have been tantalising audiences with your shows for some time now, but what’s something new this summer that you hadn’t done before?

I don’t want to spoil too many reveals; but I have some epic new props, brand new numbers, some stunning hand -crafted costumes, all waiting for this season’s audiences!

And is there anything you are most excited about audiences experiencing for the first time?

I can’t wait to see everyone’s reactions to the slip and slide and the splash zone, that never gets old.

And people that have seen your shows before, how do they usually describe them?

X-rated, naughty, wet, porny, visually stunning and high octane.

What’s something we’ll see at your Fringe shows we won’t see anywhere else?

Wait, as well as my pussy? You’ll get to see pole, aerials, breath-taking fire performances, beautiful dance numbers, some of your favourite performers like you’ve never seen them before – and of course as much striptease as you could possibly fit in 90 minutes.