Review by Steve Bennett

Unfortunately, despite including a number of tasty morsels for your degustation, the result this Australian troupe serve up is closer to Turkey Twizzler than cordon bleu. Briefly enjoyable, but not truly satisfying.

It’s a shame, because some of the Feasting On Flesh ensemble have clear talent, and the idea of theming this lascivious variety show around a sinister and twisted dinner party is an appealing one. But at a festival spoiled by the likes of Le Clique for alterative cabaret, this can’t quite pull of the sense of style, atmosphere and occasion needed to elevate it to something special.

The acrobats provide the main focus of attention. Tumbler Tom Flanagan, from the brilliant Tom Tom Club, is impressively sprightly, flip flopping across the stage or executing some complex dive, while the buff Mark Winmill, who provides eye-candy for much of the show, finally shows what he is capable of with an impressive display of aerial gymnastics.

Talking of eye candy, burlesque star Gypsy Wood certainly looks the mouthwatering part, with the style of a glamorous Fifties scream-queen-slash-Playboy-pin-up. But she can’t quite shake the impression that some of her set pieces are merely strip-shows for those too middle-class to enter real topless bars. Her tantalising cling-film routine, however, is artfully seductive.

A gorgeous – but uncredited - femme fatale also boosts the sultry factor, with more burlesque and a passionate song while drag queen Le Gateau Chocolat has a rich, operatic bass voice. His main talent, however, is being a large man in a dress, and a rather characterless one at that. He might have been able to pull off the vampy allure better had one of his supposedly glamorous frocks not looked much the worse for wear.

Plum-voiced narrator Billie Brown holds it all together, with the help of a brooding original soundtrack, moody half-lighting, but some rather awful jokes.

There are so many elements in this show’s favour, but somehow in the cavernous Assembly Music Hall, it lacks the excitement, ambiance and the elusive charisma to be an unmissable late-night haunt. Maybe one for the food fetishists only.

Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

Review date: 1 Jan 2008
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett