After walking through the hordes of people gathered outside the main entrance to QPAC and being directed around the corner to the much smaller Cremorne theatre, I must say the opening night of the stage show, Velvet, felt quite frankly unceremonious. A quick glance around the bar before the show and it was apparent Velvet had garnered itself a much older crowd. By a guess I’d say we were the youngest people there by at least 15 years. Not surprising as the show was inspired by the infamous 1970s club, Studio 54, and all the era had to offer by way of dance music. Nevertheless, the crowd certainly seemed keen to cut loose and enjoy a night of boogie-ing in Brisbane’s own makeshift disco inferno. 

Now, I’m not one for circus style acts. Not big on acrobatics or death-defying stunts either. And if you, like me, find a man performing one-handed handstands on a very unstable stack of suitcases, undressing and redressing himself, more anxiety fuelling than entertaining, Velvet probably isn’t the best show for you. Calling itself an amalgamation of dance, disco, circus and burlesque, Velvet certainly doesn’t shy away from pushing boundaries or the risqué. It consists of a variety of mini acts including song, dance, hula hooping, acrobatics and the occasional percussion solo, styled around popular disco tracks of the 70s. The show consciously nods to hedonism, bondage and the freak; showcasing the debauchery associated with the disco-infused nightclub scene of this era.

In all honesty, Velvet is a bit of a Marcia Heinz fest, with the celebrated songstress taking the lead on most numbers despite the narrative focusing on a young man (played by Brendan Maclean) and his journey of self-discovery. The real highlight of the night came in the form of Maclean’s harrowing acoustic version of the Bee Gees stellar hit, Staying Alive, on ukulele. Bathed in a lone spotlight surrounded by darkness, his slowed down rendition of this upbeat dance hit is one not to miss. Parts of the production were tedious and long-winded whilst other parts were touching, nerve-wracking and seductive. I do admit to dancing with pointed fingers like some sort of air traffic controller gone wrong, but overall I felt the show lacked a sense of cohesion or purpose. Just a bit more time spent on developing the over-arching narrative could have transformed Velvet into the disco diva she wants to be and have her truly shaking her groove thang. 

- Belinda Wych