By June Ramli
I attended my first burlesque show in Sydney on Friday the 13th.
Although I had visited Paris more than a dozen times in the past, I have never attended a performance at the Moulin Rouge – a renowned cabaret performance in Paris, France.
Since I have been missing Paris a lot lately, I decided to attend the show as it is closely aligned to the French culture that I have been missing of late.
Fortunately, I wasn’t disappointed.
I got the tickets rather last minute and was told at the venue that I was attending their maiden performance for the year.
The tickets were priced at $100 per piece for a three-hour show from 7 pm to 10 pm and it comes with a one-course meal.
Drinks were not included in the ticket price.
And not to worry, they do not start at 7 pm on the dot but almost close to the 8 pm mark.
So, when I arrived, I was greeted by James Karp, the owner and the producer of the show.
Since I was alone, James sat with me and we spoke about the show’s origin and the difference between the Moulin Rouge performance that I was hoping to see in comparison to the burlesque that I was about to watch with him that night.
James was nice and he even treated me to my second glass of mocktail.
Mind you mocktails in that restaurant were not cheap, standing at $15 per glass.
Although the show was not what I had expected, I had a great time, nonetheless.
I was the only single patron, the rest were partnered up, with friends and there was one odd couple, a father and a daughter duo.
I told myself to watch the show with an open mind.
There was nudity throughout the show but it was tastefully done.
There were lots of sex jokes thrown in and the hostess even gave sex toys for free during one of the intermissions.
For those who were not lucky enough to score a freebie toy, they were able to purchase it later for less than $15 per piece.
The show itself was all about sensual dances and with some X-rated jokes thrown in.
There were three dancers that night with one MC.
The dancers were very tall, close to six feet and absolutely gorgeous.
At times, I felt that they looked like giants but the more I looked, it dawned on me that they were actually really lanky girls.
As for the hostess Nelly, she was a great entertainer and a comedian.
She would sing and dance occasionally but her main role was to entertain the guests with jokes and make them feel at ease.
As for the food, although I had requested a vegetarian meal when it came to crunch time, I was actually served the Beef Bourguignon.
I didn’t make a fuss but enjoyed the tasty mashed potatoes that came as a side dish!
Finally, what did I think of the show itself?
I felt it was similar to watching the Moulin Rouge except there were no can-can dancers.
It is a very sexual and sensual show and is not suitable for people with a conservative and closed mind.
There was a lot of nudity in the show but not everything was shown as the girls wore nipple shields at all times.
Patrons were not allowed to photograph the dancers or touch them!
Even though they are skimpily dressed, these are all professional dancers.
These strict ground rules were made by James to safeguard his dancers from perverts.
The show had five scenes and each scene came with a lengthy intermission.
Probably about 20 minutes in between each scene.
These intermissions were designed to give you time to mingle with your friends and other patrons.
Some even walked out of the venue for a breather, while others enjoyed more drinks or went for their toilet breaks.
James came and chatted with me during intermission but most of the time I would be on my phone Googling stuff.
Would I go back again to rewatch the show?
The answer is no, but I will revisit the idea when I am in Paris next.
However, I would like to take up the owner’s offer to help him craft a coffee table book on Australian Cabaret.
If you are interested in watching the show, here are some useful information:
Venue: The Magic Cabaret, 91 Riley St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010.
Parking: There is plenty of street parking near the restaurant and paid night parking at the Domain.
Showtimes: Check the website for more information.
June Ramli is the editor of DailyStraits.com. To stay in touch with June, look her up on Twitter @junesairaramli