Clara Cupcakes has two faces: her comedy face and her burlesque face. During her many years as a performer, she's noticed there is a dichotomy between the two. To put it simply, she is too sexual for comedy and too funny for burlesque. In her new Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, Whom, Clara takes us on a journey inside her head as she tried to reconcile the two art forms.
Known for her whimsical nature, Clara seems more erratic and anxious in this show than previous ones which is fitting within the context of Whom. We are delving into the mind and psyche of a performer that doesn't quite fit in to the existing moulds and it should be nerve-wracking. She still finds a good balance of confidence and vulnerability in exploring this and in remaining true to her character, Clara chooses to host a karaoke party as the backdrop for Whom.
She was The Worst at last year 's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but this year Clara Cupcakes is finding out who she is. Is she a comedian? A burlesque performer? An improviser? Or just some weird kid? In Whom, Clara hopes to figure it all out through her unique brand of whimsical humour that has seen her nominated for the Golden Gibbo twice.
"Whom
is my brain. It's a party about how I'm bad at being a regular human.
But it's also a bit about how I'm not a comedian by a lot of people's
standards. I'm a burlesque performer and you can't be a comedian and a
burlesque performer at the same time. One excludes the other
apparently," she says. "I've spent years pushing back against burlesque to be
taken more seriously in the comedy world and now I'm like fuck it. I'm a
burlesque performer. I get my tits out and they are fucking funny so
deal with it. It's the same as physical comedy. It's been very
refreshing. I recently did a burlesque routine at a comedy night and it
felt so good. It feels like the right thing."
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."
When The Little Mermaid's Sebastian sang 'darling it's better, down where it's wetter', he probably didn't take into consideration the plight of Octoqueen Clara Cupcakes. Performed as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Elly Squire's The Worst places Clara Cupcakes (as an octopus) in an 8-bit computer game with a mission to win back all three hearts of her Octoking and reclaim her throne of Seaburbia after being banished from the kingdom.
The character of Clara has always been whimsical and joyful but in this outing Squire has focused on a personal narrative, and as such has created an opportunity for a stronger emotional connection between Clara and the audience.
Watching as the facade slowly begins to crack with
desperation, heartbreak and anger all beginning to rear their ugly heads, you
have to fight the urge to reach out and give her the biggest hug possible. This is perfectly encapsulated in a hilarious song where we witness Clara's protestations of being way too busy to be thinking about the Octoking.
Have you heard the legend of The Worst? A game so terrible, that time itself has tried to wipe it from the memory of all living beings? But its creator, Clara Cupcakes, is not so willing to have the game disappear and never see the light of day again, so she's bringing The Worst to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival where everything will finally be exposed. While this appears to literally be a show about Clara inventing a video game staring herself as an octopus, there is a lot more going on than first meets the eye.
"The Worst started as a show about my terrible ex-boyfriend. Doing a show about your ex is a bit of a comedy cliché and I wanted in," she tells me. "But as I started writing it I realised I actually didn't care about him at all anymore, so while it's still about that time in my life but the part I still have feelings about, which is how I was the worst. WOAH THAT'S THE NAME OF THE SHOW! WOAH IT ALL TIES IN!"
One of Melbourne's favourite vaudevillian and raconteur returns to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with another offering of her unique humour and take on life. Yes, Clara Cupcakes is back with one of my favourite show titles in this year's festival, Hot Patootie.
"Hot Patootie is fun! Like really fun! Well I guess that's all opinion but I have so much fun performing it so I would hope that it's fun for people watching. It's a choose your own adventure style show so the whole audience gets involved which is nice," Clara explains. "It's actually two different shows - Hollywood and Circus. The audience picks which one they want to see and then there are a whole bunch of choices within the show they get to make. I have no idea what the show is going to look like when it starts. That's pretty fun for me!"
Earlier this year, Becky Lou dazzled audiences with her debut
solo show Shake, in which she recalled
moments of her life that in some way, shape or form led her to a career in
burlesque. It was a unique opportunity to hear her speak, as well as entertain us
with a number of memorable burlesque acts. Presented as part of the 2015
Melbourne Fringe Festival, Lou’s Seen
& Heard, brings together a number of her favourite performers on stage to
share with the audience some highly personal moments of their lives.
There is a rotation of six guest artists from a variety of
performance backgrounds for Seen &
Heard’s run and tonight’s line-up consists of drag queen Karen from
Finance, stripper Perri Hunter, burlesque performer Honey B. Goode and
vaudevillian Clara Cupcakes. Tonight’s guests put on quite a show including
Karen from Finance’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You”, which had me in
stitches and Hunter’s humourous depiction of what a stripper is actually
thinking about when giving a lap dance.
Whimsy:
to be playfully quaint or fanciful behaviour or humour, which
is exactly what you get with The
Merchant of Whimsy, a playful celebration of the different and strange
that lives within us all. Clara Cupcakes utilises every skill at her disposal
with acts ranging from mind boggling hula hooping to stop motion animation
filled with whimsy and wonder, all tied together with her cute yet surprisingly
dark and insightful character.
The
brains and talent behind Clara Cupcakes, Elly Squire, burst on to the burlesque
scene six years ago and hasn’t looked back. After performing in Fringe
World in 2012, she packed her bags and travelled the world, performing
everywhere and anywhere she could, in as many different disciplines as
possible. All these experiences culminated in the debut season of The Merchant of Whimsy at the Melbourne
International Comedy Festival, which rightfully earned her a 2015 Golden Gibbo
nomination.
There wouldn't be - or shouldn't be - anyone with an interest in the Arts who is unaware of Maude and Anni Davey. Working in theatre, burlesque and circus for decades, the twins have certainly left a name for themselves. In Retro Futurismus, they join creative forces with Anna Lumb and Gabi Barton to present an evening of vaudeville entertainment with a sharp referential nod to retro science-fiction film noir pop culture. Sound like a whole lot to take in? Well it is.
Aesthetically, this show is brilliant. The costumes are all eye-catching and time and time again I caught myself looking at how much effort would have gone into creating them. In terms of the acts themselves though, I was left feeling somewhat disappointed with most of the twenty or so acts seeming to lack a climax or crescendo to excitement to excitement.
She was The Worst at last year 's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but this year Clara Cupcakes is finding out who she is. Is she a comedian? A burlesque performer? An improviser? Or just some weird kid? In Whom, Clara hopes to figure it all out through her unique brand of whimsical humour that has seen her nominated for the Golden Gibbo twice. 
When The Little Mermaid's Sebastian sang 'darling it's better, down where it's wetter', he probably didn't take into consideration the plight of Octoqueen Clara Cupcakes. Performed as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Elly Squire's The Worst places Clara Cupcakes (as an octopus) in an 8-bit computer game with a mission to win back all three hearts of her Octoking and reclaim her throne of Seaburbia after being banished from the kingdom.
One of Melbourne's favourite vaudevillian and raconteur returns to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with another offering of her unique humour and take on life. Yes, Clara Cupcakes is back with one of my favourite show titles in this year's festival, Hot Patootie.
Earlier this year, Becky Lou dazzled audiences with her debut
solo show Shake, in which she recalled
moments of her life that in some way, shape or form led her to a career in
burlesque. It was a unique opportunity to hear her speak, as well as entertain us
with a number of memorable burlesque acts. Presented as part of the 2015
Melbourne Fringe Festival, Lou’s Seen
& Heard, brings together a number of her favourite performers on stage to
share with the audience some highly personal moments of their lives.
There wouldn't be - or shouldn't be - anyone with an interest in the Arts who is unaware of Maude and Anni Davey. Working in theatre, burlesque and circus for decades, the twins have certainly left a name for themselves. In Retro Futurismus, they join creative forces with Anna Lumb and Gabi Barton to present an evening of vaudeville entertainment with a sharp referential nod to retro science-fiction film noir pop culture. Sound like a whole lot to take in? Well it is. 