Moving back into the world of burlesque and cabaret – I think – next we have, all the way from New Zealand, Salon Mika. This is the description: “Award winning cabaret king returns for ninth Festival Fringe. Burlesque-Haka, tribal erotica mingle amidst electronic-beats. Salon, that rare place where all forms of life, love, lust, and loss are embraced, with stories spoken from the dark side. Sexual passions collide with human failings in fleeting moments that are ‘hard yet soft, gentle yet rough’. Mika, your ringmaster guides you through musical vignettes, eye-catching noir gems of dubious lustre and deceptive motifs. Come see something beautifully raw. Dress to express!” Really not sure what to make of all that, but I’m expecting something decadent, like an Aubrey Beardsley print, and it definitely sounds like there’s a bit of circus in there too. It’s due to start at 21:00 at Dance Base, so I hope to come back with some instant reactions shortly after 10pm, but there’s only a twenty minute gap between its finishing and our next show, so I might be a bit late. You can see the preview for our next show around the same time.

Well, what was lacking in the Best of Burlesque Show was more than made up for in this stylish, witty, adult cabaret show, starring the amazing Mika, who just oozes sensuality without losing his common touch. A really classy evening where Maori meets Milf, if I can put it that way. Mika’s supported by a brilliant Haka troupe, who scare the sh*t out of you as a heavy juxtaposition to Mika’s torch songs. Plus the amazing Chairman Siche on keyboards. Missing a big audience on the show we saw, it’s definitely worth your attention!