Adelaide Fringe

Fringe Review: Rouge

Rouge returns to titillate Adelaide again this Fringe season, boasting an extended show and stimulating cast.

4

Presented by Gluttony and Highwire Entertainment
Reviewed 18th Feb 2020

Rouge returns to titillate Adelaide again this Fringe season, boasting an extended show and stimulating cast. The crowd is bathed in pink light as they are greeted: “Ladies, gentlemen, and those beyond the binary, welcome to Rouge!”

Rouge promotes equal opportunity voyeurism. Six splendid artists perform acrobatics and gleefully explore sexuality on every spectrum. Dancer Paul Westbrook offers a comedic striptease, complete with silver tearaway pants and heels, and acrobat Jessie McKibbon disrobes as she soars above the audience spinning on a ring.

Artists perform to both live songs and recordings. Their singer Issie Hart has an intoxicating, deep voice and an excellent taste in show stopping ball gowns. She sings Turn Me On, as a negligee-clad acrobat dances with hula-hoops. Other notable songs include Bad Things and several sultry French cabaret numbers.

However, it is the acts that combine humour, sensuality, and circus that make Rouge remarkable. For example, the sensual fire twirling duet, and powerful yet flirtatious aerial silk dance. The inventive use of a whip and comedic dominatrix costumes are also memorable. Hart must be commended for her perfect operatic aria, despite certain distractions.

Rouge’s performers are talented, fierce, and unabashed. The extended run time does not drag, but allows the audience to fall deeper under their spell. Each act is presented with self-confidence and a healthy dose of sex appeal.

Reviewed by Nicola Woolford

Rating (out of 5): 4

Venue: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent
Season: 18th – 15th Mar 2020
Duration: 75 mins
Tickets: $35.00 – $46.00
Bookings: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/rouge-af2020

@ShowRouge

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