Fittingly presented in the Basement Theatre, Lilly Loca’s The Wunderbar Spectacular provides a delicious romp from start to end. A strong pre-show vibe, with an eclectic crowd clearly in the mood, is abetted by a body-painted cowgirl FOH (Carrie-Rae Cunningham, courtesy of BodyFX), the luscious looking offerings from Miss Piggy’s Cakes, and the artwork of beautifully costumed Vivien Masters. Watching Vivien’s three portraits develop from faint pencil sketches into intricately detailed inked line art provides a fascinating sideshow.

As one enters into the strikingly lit space, the eye is drawn to the empty set up for the band on the left and the mic waiting centre stage, a tantalising hint of what we’re in for. The size of the space and the set up, a mix of tiered seating and cabaret style tables which are almost right in the action, suggests en evening of intimacy. In fact the show proves to be a delightful mix of slick talent and an extempore self-awareness which invites the audience to be in on the action. MC Lilly Loca’s shifts between vibrant and dramatic vamp and knowing girl-next-door fit this aesthetic well, as she alternately introduces and explains the show, and exhorts the audience to new heights of enthusiasm. Her obvious enjoyment and pleasure in what she is offering is irresistible.

The multi-act show is presented in two halves, the second mirroring the first. The medley of acts is well organised, providing a constant variation in the mood. Transitions are enlivened by the wonderfully comic Patty Hagg, whose bedraggled wigs, amazingly tasteless costumes and slightly ditzy and officious persona are a delight every time she pops up, as is the love/hate relation between her and Lilly; the beach scene these two present at the end of the first half is a cheerful gag routine, with Lilly’s slightly inept starlet routed by a smoking, drinking, uncouth Patty.

First on is The Spietatent, a three piece jazz band of sax, drums, double bass. With white shirts and pale suits appearing from the gloom this slightly studious looking trio produce a surprisingly warm and swinging sound which, after their first number, reappears throughout the show as a rich backdrop to Lilly’s MCing. They perform again through the interval, enticing a fair number of people to stay and listen.

Comedian Mark Scott’s slow motion entrance to strobe and pulsing rap is impishly incongruous and he soon has the audience roaring with laughter at his irreverent treatment of everything, from an impassioned riff on the possibilities for misbehaviour at various ages, the dangers of hook-ups via dog walking, airline safety briefings and the inadvisability of fluro speedos given the aesthetics of the male genitalia. Delivered in a slightly querulous, jittery and rambling style, punctuated with precisely graphic physicality and smoothly managed interaction with the audience, his acts are crowd favourites, judging by the noise.

In a different mood, Belly Dancer Anastasia Elecktra offers two teasingly sensual performances. The first is a coquettish, hide-and-seek unveiling from swathes of a filmy black burka, the second a slower more delicate dance with a black feathered fan. Both start out powerfully, although she seems to have difficulty maintaining her energy right to the end. A costume of flowing pink and sparkling silver accents her liquid grace, her arms and hands in particular hold the spectator’s attention.

The juggling of 19 year old Kozo Komatsubara is riveting. Billed as a speed juggler, he does indeed make his hoops and batons blur as they fly through the air. Despite the occasional (and instantly forgiven) fumble, his first act is impressively precise, working his way up to 4 batons and then 6 hoops he manages their various trajectories and his own changes of direction with deceptive ease. In the second half, his act mixes in cheeky banter as he demands greater appreciation from the audience while simultaneously juggling and feeding his body through a tennis racquet. During this, his mic, nipples and hips all present humorously managed difficulties.

Venus Starr presents two very polished routines. Her sharp, precise movement and knowing smile provoke a sense of anticipation. In the first half her rather noire striptease is accented by the cloud of silver glitter that escapes from her gloves. In the Golden Galactic Barbie routine which is the culminating act of the night, she combines striptease with hula, with up to 3 golden hoops swirling easily around and over her body the effect is quite hypnotic. 

Cheerfully risqué, The Wunderbar Spectacular stays comfortably within the humorous side of erotic, providing a constantly entertaining variety that easily holds the attention. 

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