It’s always interesting to see what Melbourne does when it stretches the boundaries of burlesque beyond cheese cake/classic burlesque tease (not that there’s anything wrong that). However, Pandora’s Dolls is a student production from The House of Burlesque and it’s still got a few creases that need to be ironed out.
The first issue was the story itself. The premise for the show is a Freudian-style psychoanalytic session with a young and disturbed woman who’s been a victim of child sexual abuse. In the space of the session, she unlocks (literally) personas that mirror one of the seven deadly sins. It’s curious to think that what was once perceived as a sin is now commonly accepted as a response to trauma. However, it’s very uncomfortable to watch something that’s purporting to be sexy in places when you’re talking about child abuse.
Secondly, there were a few wardrobe malfunctions and lost lines. Also, although it may have been unintentional, Pandora looked like the Alice’s Queen of Hearts, which didn’t make sense. We were also belted a bit with the concepts – each vignette was unnecessarily bookended by a soliloquy about the sin, but it was pretty clear what was going on.
On the upside, the steam-punk costumes and staging were excellent as was the music, and some of the scenes were super clever – especially the discourse on gluttony.
BY MEG CRAWFORD
