FESTIVAL GLASGOW BURLESQUE FESTIVAL Classic Grand, Riding Room and Wild Cabaret, Glasgow, Thu 19–Sun 22 Nov
With a lineup that includes some of the originators of Scottish burlesque (Gypsy Charms and Missy Malone) as well as talent from around the world, the Glasgow Festival of Burlesque is a handy survey of how burlesque remains a vivacious performance scene. Co-curators Lady V and Roxy Stardust have a clear vision: ‘When making selections for the festival we were really looking for a broad selection of performers which could show as many different facets of burlesque as we could. We wanted there to be performers that would suit a wide range of tastes but also to enlighten audience members to things they haven’t seen locally before.’ ‘For me it’s all about the energy a performer gives off,’
Roxy continues. ‘Maybe someone is not the best technically but if they have that spark, there’s just that something that you can’t put your finger on, but it’s there!’
Kicking off with a cabaret show, and ending with a party at Wild Cabaret, the festival also offers a series of workshops, a reminder that the audience can be part of the action, too.
Local acts, including boylesque dynamo Tom Harlow and the Gatsby Club’s Miss Hell’s Belle, can be seen at the Riding Rooms, which supports cabaret evenings throughout the year: however, the scope of the festival has brought performers from Bristol (Lady Lolly Rouge, Screaming Keaton), Bratislava (Catrice Cat) and even the Isle of Arran (Volcanic Ashe, a hula-hoop specialist). For Roxy, Glasgow was the obvious choice for a
celebration of burlesque. Not only is there a healthy cabaret scene, it has ‘the best audiences the world has to offer!’ she observes. ‘Audiences will experience a fun-filled weekend showing the many facets of burlesque but also focusing on and highlighting what makes Glasgow unique and fabulous.’ (Gareth K Vile)
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118 THE LIST 5 Nov 2015–4 Feb 2016