Roll up, roll up! Las Vegas with a touch of Hollywood stardust comes to Marrickville in the form of the divine Ms Imogen Kelly, the saucy showgirl extraordinaire and intimate provocateur who proves that the art of being a lady is all in the undressing. This talented and immensely cheeky performer sure knows how to put on a show. The self proclaimed “Queen of Burlesque and Plaything of Millionaires” is a true treat, a decadent darling who is charming in her sophisticated approach to one of the oldest acts there is, the striptease.
Now, before you baulk and blurt that any girl who removes her clothes for the pleasure of others is playing into a tawdry game of objectification and subjugation (cue Germaine Greer) we need to get a few things straight. Kelly is no fool. She’s smart, sassy and totally in control – disarmingly so. In fact, it’s as if she’s been put on this Earth to reinvent a genre that for way too long has been controlled by men and for men.
Right from the moment she takes to the stage Kelly puts herself firmly in the driver’s seat as she presents a series of sexy vignettes that are as playfully imaginative as they are seductive. Whether she’s prancing about as a pink flamingo (complete with feathered fans and deft animal puppetry) or inhabiting iconic characters such as Zsa Zsa Gabor, Princess Diana and Marie Antoinette she’s fresh and funny in all the right ways.
In a show with a killer soundtrack that moves from the Muppet’s “Mahna Mahna” into “Moon River” and Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” she transforms her body into an expressive canvas through which hilarious narratives take shape. One minute she’s presenting a revisionist version of Little Red Riding Hood that has the audience in stiches and the next she’s swinging through the air decked out as porcelain doll complete with ringlets, moving with the beauty and agility of a gymnast. The women are in awe of her audacity, the men are aghast at her bravado and we’re all having a very fine time indeed.
In between these frivolous flights of fancy she addresses us directly with the panache of a seasoned stand-up comic as she ponders the age old conundrum of finding a suitable moniker by which women might refer to their “bits”. Thankfully she calls on the Virgin Mary to come to her aid and we’re all marvelling at this catholic girl from Rose Bay Convent’s captivating charisma.
A graduate of the prestigious NIDA director’s course, Kelly also has an eye for power of an image, and the short films that juxtapose her live performance are inventive and well-crafted.
If you’re looking for a pervy peepshow – you’ve come to the wrong place, but if you’re after a fun night of riveting entertainment for grown ups with tongue firmly in cheek then The Undressing Room is just the ticket.
THE UNDRESSING ROOM
with Imogen Kelly
Venue: The Factory Theatre – Fuse Box
Dates/Times: Tues to Sun 10th Feb to Sun 22nd Feb 2009 | 7.30pm Tues-Sat, Sun 6.30pm (no show 12th Feb)
Tickets: $25 / $20
Bookings: www.factorytheatre.com.au or (02) 9550 3666
