Miss Scarlett: Drop-Dead Gorgeous Starlet
Alex Proud’s excellent new supper-cabaret-burlesque show in his Proud City venue is missing one performer: she’s deceased, expired, no more – murdered, in fact. Poor Miss Scarlett.
It was our (the audience’s) job to figure out who had offed her, while a world-weary trench-coated Sam Spade (or was it Columbo?) slunk past us in the darker areas between the softly-lit tables and the dazzling acts, to help us with the deductive process.
One might be forgiven for thinking that adding a whodunnit playlet to the experience of dining well and watching cabaret and beautiful women disrobing would be one medium too many; this was not the case. Thanks to the gentle flow of audience-teasing and risqué gaiety from Mister Meredith (the show’s compère beyond compare) and the faultless burlesque acts, the various elements wove together in a very delightful way.
In order of their appearance – Miss Betsey Rose (Isadora Duncan blends with Dr Zhivago’s Lara and… strips), Beau Rocks (a great line in feathered hats, pastie-tassel-twirls and irresistibly sexy derrière-quiverings) and Missy Fatale (this flame-haired temptress’ passionate feather dance was unforgettable) all gave very different, superb performances, their costumes twinkling and glittering to match.
‘Contortion’ is an ugly word for Jonathan Finch’s variety act. His agility and sense of balance were truly remarkable and I might add that he, too, had a great feel for the right hat. Joe Morrow, who also co-directed the show, played piano and sang numbers like Summertime and Mack The Knife with a sort of zesty sharpness that refreshed these old favourites with verve and originality.
Miss Scarlett, dead or alive, is highly recommended.
The Silencing of Miss Scarlett: see HERE for times, dates and bookings
