-They’re literally wearing a bin bag

-Performances are messy, experimental & chaotic

-Parody of drag / character acts

What strikes me about this performance is how little happens but it’s still so encapsulating and entertaining. Bailey J Mills is excellent at utilising awkward silences and awkwardness in general to create a character - which makes it all the more enjoyable, it’s kind of like watching bad talent show auditions, the kind of satisfaction you get from that

(Im not sure i have this correct but having looked up definitions, Lucy Darling seems to fit them.)

Ive been a fan of Lucy Darling for a little while now. I love her performances simply because she makes me laugh

Her performances tend to include:

Comedy

Drag

Magic

Variety arts

Lucy Darling excels at working with her audience and never failing to make them laugh, her charm has yet to fail.

Aswell as this I love when the ensemble come together on the build up to the chorus. The level of talent gives me chills every time🙂‍↕️

I like that the characters stand out and possess their own bold characteristics and personalities. In cabaret, there usually tends to be a distinct difference in most of the characters so i found this super interesting!

To add, I admire the fact that this song has a ‘Musical Theatre Jazz’ style which tends to also be a hallmark in Cabaret & Vaudeville styles.

As a musical theatre lover, Burlesque has been recently transitioned from the film to the stage and this was something I was interested in looking into how they adapted the songs to fit the stage rather than the screen.

I found this interesting due to the fact there is no dialogue yet this character is so well developed. Also the dancing done in heels impresses me.

It is also interesting for the fact that it is such a challenge for the performer, to be able to firstly speak without moving your lips, but to be able to go in and out of a character quickly to create the effect that the puppet has its own mind.

I chose this performance as I have always been fascinated by shows with dance numbers as I myself don’t mind taking part in a performance with some dance numbers , while also adding i did this show in college helping with backstage, lighting and sound

_{I've probably done hours of research across the span of a couple days trying to figure out what exactly cabaret is, and I think I'm more lost now than I was before this}

I've always enjoyed stand-up comedy, not just because I find it entertaining and funny, but because it always felt more real and personal in a way. I think it's something to do with the performers needing to come from a place of understanding to write up the jokes they tell.

Ronny Chieng tends to joke mostly about the contrast between Asians and Americans, pointing out the drastic differences between both cultures. I think I find him funny because I am able to relate well with his jokes.

The use of big, exaggerative characters such as Billy Flynn, and the use of human puppetry always draws my attention, and i think the choice to use it draws further on political messages too, which is something Ive always enjoyed looking into when exploring any piece of work.

Catrin is also a fluent Welsh speaker, so the representation of Wales having a Cabaret eisteddfod as well as it being promoted by a Welsh speaker really speaks to me in a way not many other performances do, and I think that Wales does need this kind of representation for the arts. :)

I find burlesque combines both culture, sophistication and erotica, ‘flirting’ with the idea of sexuality.

Especially this performance by Dita Von Teese. The use of the martini glass, hints at the upper echelon, and high society associated with the drink, combined with her sensual movement. Also the fact that she’s higher up than the audience and splashes the water towards them, almost like for a moment they’re able to feel her on them, but that’s as close as it will get. The exact reason she chose her name, ‘Teese’.

Shows like this i enjoy looking into as it has all of the surface level themes (antisemitism and fascism - themes that are similar to things we are experiencing in the modern day), but it can be delved much deeper into for other themes - specifically of a political nature for this show.

This is something that I would consider a cabaret act, the song, the dance and whole over all performance is what I feel is Cabaret

This is a kind of performance I love to watch and learn to perform as well!

5 different bottles of shampoo is a spoken word about women empowerment and since I first heard it I loved how it was performed love as a spoken word piece rather than a song and the actual lyrics itself being so strong and moving.

I really enjoy this as it’s very different and entertaining, he also uses the audience to his advantage as he usually asks for songs to perform with his whips, and it allows him to create comedy from pure improv.