Strap yourself in for plenty of leopard print and pink in
every design choice of Brent Thorpe’s ‘Beauty! Glamour! Fame!’ and plenty of
blue in the material.
Whilst there are a few lapses in comic timing, the oldies
enjoyed Thorpe, as character Brenda Trollope, and the old pop culture
references (anyone else remember Flemings, Number 96 or Alvin Purple?) and his
sassy attitude.
There are times his satire hits the mark, such as Deirdre
Flick, talk-back caller and general conservative redneck and there are also
times we find ourselves shifting uncomfortably in our plastic chairs as
boundaries are pushed to their limits (Oedipus Complex, anyone?)
‘Beauty! Glamour! Fame!’ does have a touch of the vaudeville
but it can feel passé in its humour, as if I’m watching the cutting edge camp humour
of the 70’s, ala Benny Hill or Kenny Everett, except it’s 2014 and it feels a
tad dated. But generally the grey-haired audience enjoyed a little bottom-exposing chase around the space, a little simulated sex on stage and as many
minge references as possible. It wasn’t really my thing but then again, I was
walking into a pub show with Thorpe in drag. Perspective, please.
Thorpe’s offsider, Zan Cross, had plenty of energy and
served as a good sidekick to Thorpe and they played the contrast well.
Enter ‘Beauty! Glamour! Fame!’ at your peril and hopefully
you’ll find its old-fashioned style and humour to your liking.
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