Burlesque was back in Norwich for the first day of the 2010 Norfolk and Norwich Festival – and it was as camp as a row of Spiegeltents.
Hosted in the impressively glam surrounds of the Chapelfield big top, the Great Distraction show was curated by New York performer Julie Atlas Muz and featured music, acrobatics, side show comedy and performances that defy detailed description in a family newspaper.
The audience, including many who’s outfits matched the spirit of the evening, lapped up the nipple-tasselled theatrics of Miss Dirty Martini, and got very much involved in the antics of Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey’s simian ballet. Sound confusing and chaotic? Well, that’s the Great Distraction.
There was some noticeable seat-shifting during Mat Fraser’s Seal Boy circus sideshow routine, with many unsure whether it was right to laugh at a disability – even one highlighted by someone facing it – but that was the only uncertain moment in the show.
Ms Muz’s own spots combined dance, humour, film noir and a healthy sprinkling of nudity; basically burlesque at its best. Definitely a distraction that holds your attention.
