Review: ‘The Tease Factory’ at The Court
Perth International Burlesque Festival’s The Tease Factory at The Court
Friday, September 8, 2023
9.5/10
The 10th annual Perth International Burlesque Festival (PBIF) kicked off in spectacular fashion on Friday, with Tease Factory at The Court hotel.
Crowds packed into the beer garden of The Court, a motley assortment of Perth’s local burlesque, drag and dance performers alongside eager members of the public, all dressed up for to the night’s Avante Garde dress code, to enjoy the opening night of the highly anticipated festival. Patrons were greeted by roving performers wearing extravagant showgirl costumes in the signature PBIF colour, pink, whose glamorous presence throughout the space heightened the exciting performance atmosphere.
With heavy-weight headliners including Cleopantha (UK), Nell Fox (KR) and Ruby Slippers (AU), crowds settled into the adhoc theatre-style set up, blissfully unprepared for the high-octane, non-stop delivery of exceptional performance throughout the night.
MC Lucinda Panties’ entrance onto the stage signalled the official commencement of the night. A heavy weight performer and instructor in the local burlesque scene, Lucinda Panties was an excellent choice as MC, bringing her quick wit, comedic timing and experience to the evening and keeping the crowds engaged between performances.
Ruby Slippers opened the night with a masterfully performed lip-sync and burlesque routine. Adorned in a showstopping catholic-core white and gold costume, and stripping to reveal a bedazzled devilish outfit below, this routine was a delightful foray into both the heavenly and the hellish.
While a hard act to follow, Evana De Lune was indisputably up for the task, commanding audience attention with an ensnaringly erotic chair routine and PVC lingerie. Azcadelia was bewitching as a love-sick blonde bombshell, combining expert timing, expression, emotion and movement with an enviable mastery.
Following that, audiences were treated to a classic tease from Chica Boom-Boom, an emotional fan dance from over 40s burlesque troupe Phoenix Burlesque Troupe, a high-energy dance and chair performance from Santosha Storm and a rousing fan number from Egsonham.
The second headliner Nell Fox was exquisite in a red gown, before kicking off her heels, stripping to black leather and performing a dazzling fire routine, artfully combining danger and glamour.
After a non-stop first half, the audience were certainly ready for a chance to recharge, relieve and re-beverage themselves, ready for the second act.
With a delightful classic performance from Peg Petite and a neo, army-inspired act from the Lady Velvet Cabaret academy students, the next half opened with full force, launching a second round of glamour, excitement and artful tease.
Singapore artist Lychee Bye undeniably stole the stage with their ‘Aunty’ act, luring the audience in with their endearing and entertaining character comedy before momentarily departing the stage and returning in a jaw-dropping red bodysuit and knee-high boots, leaving the audience in a state of utter shock and arousal.
Perth was well-represented with its local additions to the night, including Fifi Fontaine, who was a vision in purple and blue feathers as she flawlessly executed a fan-dancing burlesque routine. Meanwhile, Lucy Lovegun and Veruca Sour delighted crowds with a comedic duo performance, holding their own as two of Perth’s premier performers (and goofballs).
After a shocking performance by Sparkarella and Elle Diablo combining angle grinding, fire play and sword swallowing with a showmanship that was in equal parts terrifying and captivating, the final act of the night was Cleopantha, the twice voted #1 Burlesque Figure in the UK. Taking to the stage in a pink leather jacket, pink bob, pink bucket hat and knee pads under sparkling pink fishnets, Cleopantha led the audience through an energetic and artful ode to female artists in rap music through the decades, combining a variety of dance mediums to deliver a punchy performance before driving audiences wild with their concluding number, WAP.
Tease Factory was, without doubt, one of the best nights of burlesque that Perth has seen this year, and was a masterful demonstration of inclusivity and representation, bringing performers of all ages, nationalities, abilities, identities and disciplines in a truly show-stopping night. The success of this event was a testament to the hard work of the Perth International Burlesque Festival team, including esteemed director The Sugar Duchess.
For burlesque lovers, newly minted enthusiastic, or those not yet initiated, the Perth International Burlesque Festival is a must-see event, with an exciting range of events and workshops available each year. The festival wrapped up in Perth with its main gala event and after party on Saturday night, but will be hitting the road for regional shows in Manjimup and Geraldton later this month.
BEC WELDON