Originally written and performed by Fiona Samuel in 1993, Lashing of Whipped Cream remains enduringly modern. Society’s increased familiarity with BDSM and alternative sexual mores does undercut the illicit fascination that would have originally sensationalised the material, but sexuality never really gets old and Samuel’s writing is a potent blend of titillation, gutsy humour and honest humanity.

Through darkened doors and beyond the leather-clad usher, a ready supply of bindings, whips and clamps in various sizes awaits, setting the scene with ample suggestion of what might go on here. I have to admit this isn’t my first or even second time in Mistress Dominique’s parlour – different Mistresses in different parlours – and the accoutrements of restraint and release don’t pique my interest in quite the way they might otherwise. It’s Dominique herself that intrigues.

Performed by Rhubarb Rouge, the alter ego of producer Ricky Beirao and previous winner of Miss Drag NZ, Mistress Dominique quickly captivates us, her all too eager audience, leaving more than a few squirming in their seats. Conversational, provocative and rife with physical humour, Rouge’s unabashed approach to the role is a revelation. With agile expressiveness and the ability to shift naturally between a professional / personal demeanour, Rouge’s Dominique is all the more vital and gregariously human.

It’s this humanity that makes the performance.  Lashings of Whipped Cream strips away the exterior facade of the sex industry to reveal familiar comforts, a fundamental human drive for intimacy and the need to sate appetites of all kinds. The humour still celebrates a degree of overt sexuality, and Rouge works her audience with a confident hand and husky unyielding command.

Ecstatically fun and provocatively engaging, this is a great show for a somewhat adult night out.

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Having seen the original version by writer/performer Fiona Samuel 21 years ago, the Sara Wiseman in the role nine years ago, I had some misgivings about ‘Mistress Dominique’, the supposedly teenage dominatrix, being played by a drag queen. But Ricky Beirao’s ‘Rhubarb Rouge’ makes it work.

Our visit to this B&D chamber may not seem as naughty or titillating these days as it once did, to a jaded old fart like me, although there are some young men in this audience whose laughter is clearly tinged by a delighted nervousness, especially when she ventures into the audience.

Having bid farewell to Jim (“no last names here”), Dominique is initially stymied at the sight of this unexpected group booking but it turns out her wanting to have a chat and our not wanting pain and humiliation – because that would cost us a great deal more than we’ve paid – is a mutually satisfactory situation.

Our session is fitted in between Jim, who likes his discipline heavy, and the expected arrival of Neil, her fiancé, with fish ’n’ chips, to be followed by Jeffrey, who likes his bondage tight. So what with the risk of RSI and the unlikelihood of compassion from ACC, our ‘tour group’ status suits her fine.

A cuppa, a whiskey and something to nibble abet her chatty insights into her world and those of her clients. We do get a taste of how it might be to visit the dungeon one-on-one and some amusing surprises emerge from her fur-topped box of tricks. I have said before it’s a great first act that needs to go further to pay off what’s been set up but somehow this version works just fine as it stands.

Samuel’s colloquial Kiwi text blends with Rouge’s Brazilian accent and pleasantly relaxed persona to render the extraordinary intriguingly ordinary. There are no hints of, let alone revelations into, a sordid childhood or dysfunctional relationship with Neil to reassure us this lifestyle is other than ‘normal’. So in the end it makes perfect sense for her warn us – as she has Jim – to take care, as we leave, because “there are some real strange people out there.”  

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It may have been a one wo-man show but Rhubarb Rouge, by herself, almost has too much personality to fit on one stage. Lashings of Whipped Cream, like its star, is outrageous!

Written by New Zealand’s Fiona Samuel, Lashings of Whipped Cream is a wonderfully penned play where a ‘teen’ dominatrix spills all to a captive audience. Lines are blurred between whether you are an audience member or a client, as Rouge (the alter ego of performance artist Ricky Beirao) plays with the spectators. [More]

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Tentatively walking into the The Basement to see Fiona Samuel’s Lashings ofWhipped Cream: a session with a teenage dominatrix, the butterflies in the pit of my stomach were well in flight.

The nerves didn’t cease when I was greeted with a set like nothing I’d ever seen in theatre before. Surrounding what I imagined to be a ‘toy’ box in the middle of the room were all kinds of bondage and dominatrix toys. An assortment of terrifying sexual fixtures hung from the ceiling, including a cross, floggers, whips, and cuffs. Mistress Dominique, performed by Rhubarb Rouge, is no less frightening (or sexually arousing, depending on your preference) than the equipment she uses. The audience became her block booking of prospective clients, and she teases A LOT… [More] 

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Something really strange is happening in the upstairs space at Basement this week. Enter the world of a dominatrix’s working dungeon. There are a range of whips, paddles, riding crops, ropes, gruesome clips and even a special hot water bottle.  It is the working space of Mistress Dominique who shares the secrets of her Bondage and Discipline profession in an hour of intimate stories, confessions and hilarious audience interactions.

Originally penned by Fiona Samuel some years ago, Lashings of Whipped Cream was an outrageous ‘feminist’ performance by a teenage woman dominatrix revealing, with humour and sensitivity, insights into the secrets and fantasies of the heterosexual male.  It played internationally to acclaim and shocked audiences with its revelations. 

It is now revived with a twist.  Mistress Dominique is cross gender and played by Rhubarb Rouge: the drag persona of performance artist Brazilian Ricky Beirao.  Dressed in PVC pants, a very tight corset and high black lace up boots, the performance is full of energy, vocal gymnastics and confrontations. 

Rhubarb Rouge is a true drag queen working the theatre and the dungeon as she entices the audience to face their sexual fantasies. The best moments are the stories of her own life and her exploration of attitudes to sex, humiliation and fantasy: “Sex is a luxury and a necessity.” 

Originally the script was an eye opener to many audiences who screamed with delight at its outrageousness. Now it seems a little bit dated; the four ‘food groups’ (fantasies) – Camisole, Leather, School Uniform and Nurse – seem from last century.

Mistress Dominatrix has a colourful relationship with her male partner. Ricky as Rhubarb takes on both parts: the ‘real life’ husband and wife. Although the scenes are understandable it is a bit of an imaginative leap for the audience to see a male playing a female convincingly. Perhaps more use could be made of the male-to-male relationship Mistress Dominatrix could be having outside the dungeon. 

As part of the Pride Festival a drag queen playing a dominatrix seems like a great idea to have in the programme.  However the content leaves me a bit distant from the involvement that was expected. It’s all far too “heterosexual”.  I was expecting a new twist as the Mistress Dominatrix’s dungeon was brought into the present. 

Still a good night out as part of the Pride Festival and certainly Rhubarb Rouge gives an energetic and entertaining performance.  I just wanted it to go further, be more ‘dangerous’ and more revealing of the heart and soul of the teenage dominatrix.  Lashings of Whipped Cream is a scratch on the surface not a stinging bite to remember.

Lashings of Whipped Cream is on tour having played the Midsumma Festival in Melbourne and will be appearing at the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival late February.

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