Absinthe

“Well, I wouldn’t be taking my parents to that”, is what my date for the night told me after seeing Absinthe.

Described as “Inspired by the absinthe-drenched cabarets of late-19th century Europe, Absinthe is an adult-themed cocktail of circus, burlesque and vaudeville for a 21st century audience, hosted by the outrageous Gazillionaire and his sidekick Abby.”

Entering a Spiegeltent is always fun. The moody lighting and joviality of all that attend is infectious. Sitting on the inner circle makes it even more engaging. The shock-factor is heightened.

Absinthe is comparable to the much applauded La Soiree. Acrobats, feats of strength, singers and dancers that seem to have no end. They get their 2-8 minutes to wow, shock and entertain - that they do.

I couldn’t tell if it was the vibe they were going for or they were completely unaware of the audience, but the host, Gazillionaire was a belittling and demeaning to the audience and his sidekick, Abby, was either a nymphomaniac or socially inept.

Look, with the right audience that style of hosting would have added to the performance. On the night which I attended it didn’t. However, the overall performance was fun, fearless and fascinating.

I was wowed by the Mexican acrobats and the American quasi-contemporary dancers. Seeing feats of flexibility and strength are always engaging. It was a real credit to the performance.

Maybe I’m falling into typical Perth conservatism, but as someone who enjoys burlesque I have to think that the line was flirted with.

Absinthe is worth attending and having a good night out, but be ware - your mother may block her ears. Anyway, I’m off to the gym because I either want the perfectly defined abs or flexibility to wow that was on show. Worth it, do attend.