Jennifer Ward-Lealand brought her usual panache to opening night. Photo / Supplied
Where are your troubles now? Gone - I told you so! So says the MC in the musical Cabaret to his patrons - and the masterminds behind the Sexy Recession Cabaret could say the same to theirs.
The light-hearted, total experience begins in the carpark; a woman on the theatre
roof, cascading a curtain of red, coos "welcome!" Imaginative details such as this are the hallmark of dynamo director Eve Gordon - in the foyer are 1930s posters, a "peep show" (knock on the window, don't be scared), and tiny vintage flipbooks of athletes au natural.
That's about as risque as it gets - the "sexy" here is all sass, no crass. There are a few gorgeous besequinned bodies on display; Mike Edward drops his kimono while Gone with the Wind is projected onto his physique, revealing he didn't give up working out when he stopped working on The Strip. But the ensemble's sex appeal is grounded in skill, drollery and chutzpah rather than fake, plastic super-shininess. Move over Barbie; the circus Bohemians are in town.
They're all-singing, all-dancing, hula-hooping, tap-dancing and silks-climbing - impressive talents pressed into the cause of merry-making. Sparks literally fly over a tableau of decadence when the delightful Sarah Houbolt touches an angle grinder to her heart-shaped crotch plate. Affably low-key MC Tama Waipara's jokes are hilariously awful while Karen Hunter and her excellent young band are on the money. Colleen Davis excels at moaning due to toothache ... or is it for the benefit of beefcake dentist Edwards?
A rotating list of guests is interleaved with the regulars: opening night included the reliably classy Jennifer Ward-Lealand who is finishing a triumphant year on the high note of the Masochism Tango ("I envy the rose that you held in your teeth, love") and Food in a Minute's Lana Garland sultrily singing for some sugar in her bowl.
Use the table service for refreshments, for if you leave your table during "intermission" you'll miss out on three of the evening's 20 items.
This Tapac fundraiser is only $25-$30 a head. Whoop it up.
