We always look at performers with an air of admiration about
how confident and sure of themselves they are, and while we may follow their
careers for years, how well do we really know them? Created by burlesque artist
Becky Lou, Seen & Heard is a show that revolves around the art of storytelling and performance that
allows audiences to not only get to know the person behind the performer but
also provides an opportunity for performers to expose themselves in ways
they never have before.
Becky Lou gets the evening underway with a titillating burlesque
routine that then leads to her recollecting a tale about her decision to not have
children and her teenage ‘pregnancy’ scare. It sets the tone well for what will be an
evening of openness and engaging stories.
Seen & Heard is very much a variety show with various guests each evening,
however the artists that Becky Lou has chosen to take part in this season of the show fully commit to being authentic and honest with
their stories. It is a strange feeling seeing these people become quite
vulnerable with the issue or topic they have chosen to share with an audience.
Cabaret diva Mama Alto gives a touching recount of growing
up somewhere between two genders and the sanctuary that they find in music. Circus artist Anna Lumb takes a humorous look at the stress and pressure of
being a person with two jobs (the circus and a parent), about being an ‘in-betweener’
and how sometimes that that is exactly where you should be.
Becky Lou has been gracing the burlesque dance stage for a number of years and has thrust, shimmied and shaken her body through a variety of acts that have entertained across the country and throughout the world. But how many people actually know who Becky Lou is? Presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Seen & Heard gives performers the opportunity to share their own personal stories with audiences and allow audiences to see these performers in a very different light.
"Performing was so much fun, but
eventually I became aware that while I was completely comfortable
dancing and tumbling about naked on stage, I was always silent. Was I
really so liberated and empowered if audiences were only seeing and
not hearing me?" Becky Lou tells me. "Around the same time I started
seeing some really talented storytellers from around the globe at
Adelaide and Perth Fringe festivals and noticing local story slams and
podcasts like The Moth. I started making solo shows that combined my
goofy burlesque with personal storytelling and it worked. Audiences
seemed to find it really affecting. But then, you know, I got a bit
bored of the sound of my own voice and became curious about other
people's stories."
"Some of the best true tales are heard backstage or
late at night at artist bars. I thought it would be cool to apply the
concept I'd used for my solo show to a variety show and let the public
in on what fascinating people were behind the feathers and greasepaint.
It felt important to me to create a platform to expose the humanity,
vulnerability and authenticity of people who were most often seen for
their physical prowess, visual magnificence and otherworldly stage
presence."
If you haven't yet heard of Mama Alto, then 2016 will definitely be changing that. Tucked away down a side street off Collins St, Entrecôte hosted the 2016 season launch of the countertenor diva, jazz singer and cabaret artiste Mama Alto.
Guests were greeted to a high tea party extravaganza with glasses of sparkling wine, lemonade scones with jam and cream and macarons while treated to a sampling of what Mama Alto has in store for 2016.
An evolving piece of repertory work throughout the year begins with Mama Alto: Torch Songs, which will feature an ever changing selection from the 200 jazz standards within the Mama Alto repertoire of sumptuous ballads, fierce blues scorchers and poignant torch songs. This will premiere on March 4th at one of Melbourne's most vibrant performance venue and bar, the iconic Butterfly Club, before touring to further locations.
The rest of this varied season includes further appearances with the legendary Finucane & Smith and Mama Alto: Delicacies; a feast for the senses, which will see the culinary skills of Entrecôte combined with the musical tastes of Mama Alto & pianist Miss Chief. Another exciting event will be an immersive theatrical experience, Mama Alto: Blues in the Night, which will transform the Chapel off Chapel theatre into an underground jazz age speakeasy in December that should not be missed.
