At last Saturday’s Pussycat Club hosted by the dynamic duo Fancy Piece, I bumped into Glitta Supernova. From Gurlesque fame, the effervescent, unique and consistently amusing performer/producer/make up artist, Ms Supernova is the woman behind the Pretty Peepers Cabaret. She tells me about the next show at the Imperial, shares her tips on MCing and says why underground cabaret is still where it’s at…
Tell me about Pretty P’s.
Pretty Peepers Cabaret is a variety show of theatrical extravagance. It is an underground pleasure palace of artistic and intellectual abandon, where we celebrate the diversity of creativity, illusion and desire. Pretty Peepers Cabaret is filled to the rim with raw energy, cheeky humour, wild experimentation and irrepressible sexuality. Taking centre stage are Australia’s most inspired and unique personalities with a mixed bag of established and emerging queer Performance Art, Burlesque/Strip, Drag, Comedy, Circus, Vaudeville and Music.
Who’s performing?
With more bang for your buck we will have 10 acts on the night. What a lineup! What a night! Starring: Kira Hula-la (hoolahooping whirling dirvish), Matt Stegh & Mat Hornby (Manjam, Clowncult), Lillian Starr (femme burlesque starlette), Stranger Danger & Fresh Meat (zombielishious), F.E.V.A (mistress of the hard fans), Glace Chase (cabaret ‘sinsation’), Renny Kodgers (the love child of Willie Nelson and Carlotta), Miss Candy (The Candy stripe circus), Matthius The Libidinous (Boylesque Hotty) and moi, Glitta Supernova, your hostess with the moistess! Plus DJ Matt Vaughan from Loose Ends.
You’ve MCed and co-MCed for many years- what are the challenges and what have you learnt about being a good host for a variety show?
I am an introverted extrovert and MCing dosen’t come easily for me. I do it anyway and play in the moment. I improvise the whole thing and I have learnt to trust myself. Sometimes it works and other times I die on stage! But I turn that into the moment, being honest and spontaneous, and luckily it seems to work for me.
What for you are the elements of a hot act?
Something that makes me go Hubba Bubba!!!! Someone who is truly themself and brings something new to the planet. Rawness & passion mixed with skill and fine stagecraft. Someone who will take me on a journey and not take themself too seriously.
How has the scene changed over the past few years and where is it at today?
Well the scene used to be more underground, diverse and edgy but I find with the homogenisation of burlesque that it is now mainly “blandesque”. But the underground is still going strong with its unique brand of bent entertainment and still heavily influences the mainstream with ideas that later get watered down for the masses.
The times in general are more conservative and art is only a mirror to these times. Everything is cyclic. Everything is born. Everything dies. I think Burlesque itself is morphing all the time as we as artists evolve. As society rolls out the punches we are constantly mirroring that in our art.
What’s next?
Well after the show on the 30th January (details below) there will be the next Pretty Peepers Cabaret on the 27th February! The show will boast an incredible cast of characters including our total superstar DJs Amanda Fucking Palmer alongside Dj Sveta. And treading the boards we have another special international guest- Dublin based neo & classic burlesque performer Sade O’Sapphic. Plus all the best this town has to offer including the indescribable Pluto Savage, Bunny Hoopstar, Justin Shoulder, Ginger Snaps, myself plus more acts to be announced.
What else do you need in life?!
When: Sunday 30th January
7pm-12, Showtime 8pm
Where: Imperial Hotel, Erskineville Rd, Erskineville
$25/$20concession
More info on PrettyPeepers Cabaret on facebook
