Performer and producer Poppy Cherry talks to Ruby TV about the Melbourne burlesque scene and her upcoming production- a burlesque whodunit- Stage Fright!
How did Stage Fright! come to be?
‘Stage Fright!’ is a collaborative effort between myself and writer/director Dominic Deacon. Like most of our film/stage ideas, it developed over a few large glasses of rum. We had just completed our first theatre/burlesque show (‘Bacchanalia: The Burlesque Circus at The End of the World’) and loved the idea of bringing some of the same characters back for another story.
What are your roles in the production?
I am producing the show, and also performing as two characters – the twins Fanny and Penelope Pocket. Fanny is a scamp of a servant while Penelope is a burlesque diva so its quite fun playing such opposites.
What is it about the story that intrigues you?
The story follows the misadventures of a troupe of performers trying to solve the mystery of the murder of one of their cast members, while still putting on their last burlesque/vaudeville show. It’s a traditional ‘whodunnit’ in the vein of an Agatha Christie mystery, where one by one the cast members die under mysterious circumstances. I love the idea of incorporating traditional burlesque routines into a scripted story that ties them all together. It also keeps the audience guessing until the very end who the killer actually is, and has a very clever little ending.
Tell me about the direction and the approach to style.
Dom’s script and direction for ‘Stage Fright!’ takes a large amount of inspiration from British comedy – you can see elements of old-world Sherlock Holmes, the chaotic nature of Fawlty Towers and the bawdy humour of Blackadder, to name a few.
The show is set in 1920’s London so we also have that lovely decadent vintage 20’s feel to the show, and have been lucky enough to have some fantastic 20’s costumes provided by Sideshow Annie Costume Parlour.
The casting…?
Mark Casamento plays the host Alexander Tournier. He played the same character in ‘Bacchanalia’, and has a wonderful comic timing with the way he plays the character. Kelly Ann Doll plays Betsy May Swallow, an alcoholic dancer with more than a screw loose who generally disrupts the show and heckles our host. Kelly is an amazing actress as well as a dancer so to have her both acting and dancing in our show is a real privilege. Honey B Goode plays Princess Titsiana Ivana Popova, an uptight and slightly suspicious Russian dancer. Honey is one of my favourite comedy Burlesque performers so was a natural choice to be part of the show. Sarah-Louise Younger plays The Señorita, an outlandish Spanish chanteuse. Sarah-Louise is a resident MC at the Burlesque Bar and has a great knack for improv. as well as a sublime singing voice. My little brother Sam is also in the show, playing the resident hunchback stage hand Klaus. He also gets his moment to shine on stage during a little singing interlude.
How would you describe the burlesque scene in Melbourne right now?
There seems to have been a lot of change in the local Burlesque scene over the past few years. When I first became interested in performing, there were maybe a couple of shows a month. Now there are several venues around town that regularly host Burlesque events, so there are multiple events every weekend. I’ve also noticed a change in performers – quite a few performers who were big names when I started (eg Sarah Lea Cheesecake and others) have either retired or taken a break from the scene, leaving room for newer performers to emerge. The scene is now quite diverse – as well as regular weekly shows (such as at Burlesque Bar), there are quite a few different groups/individuals producing Burlesque shows, all with their own niche. Many of the performers are quite entrepreneurial, producing their own shows. Some focus on classic glamorous striptease (eg Red Door Burlesque or Shimmy Shake), or a more circus vibe (eg Cabaret Cirlesque), or a dark theatrical nature (Burlesque Underground, Atrocity, Gorelesque). I’m hoping to carve out my own niche in the area of scripted, theatrical comedy burlesque shows.
What do you hope audiences to get out of this show?
My goal is always for audiences to walk away feeling thoroughly entertained, with more than a few belly laughs along the way. I think there is something for everyone in this show – song, dance, burlesque, glitzy costumes, crazy characters and a wickedly entertaining script. We had great feedback from our first show and I know this one will be even better.
What’s next?
There’s plenty of ideas percolating right now. Dom and I would love to do a Fringe Festival show later this year. I’m also performing in the Australian Burlesque Festival in June so have plenty of costuming work to do for that one. We’re also working on our third feature film ‘Only The Young Die Good’ – a 1940’s detective story – which has been sitting on the back burner for a while, but just recently we’ve started getting that film making bug again so who knows what will happen?
Stage Fright! plays at The Order of Melbourne on May 8, 15 and 22 at 8pm. Find our more through Poppy’s FB page here or book tix through moshtix.
