Review: SABRAGE, Lafayette London
Photo credit: Matt Crockett
Enter into the world of Sabrage: an evening of ‘circus’ and burlesque, brought to you by a cast of opulent performers.
Independent Australian theatrical company Strut & Fret have partnered with the Menier Chocolate Factory to bring Sabrage to Lafayette for the show’s world premiere.
As we head down the wooden steps of the club, we find ourselves transported to an underground world. The stage itself is slick, illuminated by mysterious cobalt blue lighting. The back wall of the stage area reflects the champagne theme of the show, with strip lights in the shapes of bubbles creating texture and hiding secret sliding windows. From the outset, we anticipate a kind of traditional nightclub cabaret show, updated for a modern audience…
It must be said that the costumes in the show are both dazzling and very sexy. With the show being called ‘Sabrage’ meaning “the ceremonial practice of opening a champagne bottle with a saber’, creating connotations of celebration, allure and danger. We do definitely get all of these elements from the costumes, which contain a lot of sparkle and leather, but we don’t necessarily see these elements in the performance.
The show website describes the show as “featuring the finest circus and acrobatic talent”. Yes, the performers are talented singers, comedians and burlesque performers. They have clearly nailed the act of the strip tease. But, ironically enough, there is a considerable lack of circus in this circus show. In this two-hour performance, across the two halves, there is essentially three circus acts (not counting the avant garte clowning because this is integrated into the show to tie the acts together): there is an aerial duo, a juggler and a rollerskater. So this show can’t really be overly described as a ‘circus’, rather it is a burlesque show with circus elements.
Emma Phillips’ talent as a performer is undeniable; it is one thing to delicately juggle Chinese parasols with your feet, it is something else to juggle a wooden table in this way. She brings delicate grace and beautiful strength to the show, and is utterly captivating to watch.
Kimberley Bargenquast and Flynn Miller (Duo Wonderlust)’s acrobatic aerial routine gives the show the sexy allure that it is clearly aiming for. It is tasteful and looks effortless.
Remi Martin and Spencer Novitch make a great duo and are very good at getting the audience to really feel like they are a part of the show. Their sense of audience engagement is sharp albeit repetitive.
What really let the show down for us was its repetitiveness. The same sex jokes and jokes about french stereotypes are re-hashed over and over, meaning that the clowns, whilst talented at moving their bodies, aren’t overly funny. Strip teases get a bit boring after a while and the dancing feels out of place in a show like this. We get a sense that the show has an idea of what it wants to be but doesn’t really know what it is. Is it circus? Is it burlesque? Is it cabaret? You decide.
Flashy and kinky but indecisive and lacking in substance.
** Two stars
Reviewed by: Megan O’Neill
Sabrage plays at Lafayette in London until 6 July, with further info here.
