Serenity brings a spark of personality and wit with a lively and self-assured drag act that earns instant bonus points for opening with a lip sync from my favourite film. Zach Johnson shifts the tone with a short but thrilling balancing act involving a bottle, a balloon and a paddle held in his mouth. It’s the kind of performance that has you holding your breath, because one millimetre off and it would all go south, yet he keeps it perfectly steady.
Another highlight is Leopold Pentland’s orchestrated frenzy on a slackwire that thrives on unpredictability, a soda stream and a bag of goon. There’s a deliberate looseness to it, a sense that each wobble and recovery is part of the fun, and it gives the evening a jolt of energy.
Katrina Louise closes the show with a stunning hair-hanging aerial routine infused with hypnotic fire twirling - a striking mix of beauty, strength and danger that has the audience completely transfixed. It is a finale that ends in a fiery spectacle with the imagery lingering in your mind well after the lights turn on.
Cake - Late Bite ultimately celebrates embracing who you are and taking pride in it. There are brilliant numbers and inspired elements throughout, but tightening the transitions and smoothing the pacing would help it come together as a more cohesive work. As it stands, it comes across like a platter of delicious slices of cake instead than one fully baked product. It’s still sweet, but not yet set.
Overall, Cake - Late Bite serves the audience a glitter-drenched mixing bowl of dynamism, chaos and playful risk. While it sometimes feels like we are watching a series of standalone moments rather than a unified whole, the boldness and individuality of the acts keep it engaging and entertaining.
Cake - Late Bite was performed at the Meat Market between 1 - 4 October as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Image credit: Alexis D. Lea Photography
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