I’m a huge fan of Dita Von Teese, vintage style icon and the queen of burlesque. She is a modern day goddess. For years, I have wanted to go see her live show, but unfortunately, the closest she’s got to these parts was at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
But that all changed last week when Dita Von Teese brought her Copper Coupe Tour to the QET.
In collaboration with Absolut Elyx, the format was like a variety burlesque show, featuring some of her favourite burlesque performers from around the world. Out of the 10 vignettes in the show, Dita Von Teese performed in four of them.
The show kick-started with Von Teese standing in a giant, copper-toned seashell, not unlike Botticelli’s painting, The Birth of Venus or like Uma Thurman as Venus in The Adventures of Baron Manchausen, while 1,200 pearl balloons fell from the rafters. Her costume dazzled with thousands of sparkling Swarovski crystals, while she delicately danced with a six foot pearl balloon – a tribute to Sally Rand, a 1930s era burlesque performer, famous for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance.
Dita Von Teese closed the first act with her take on Marilyn Monroe’s performance of Lazy in Irving Berlin’s There’s No Business Like Show Business. Like the movie, there was a screen, a chaise lounger, and a classic looking rotary phone on stage, along with 2 dancers. Or in her case, two male dancers in tuxedos.
She opened the second act with a jaw-dropping bang. Instead of the vintage, throwback Hollywood performances from the first act, Von Teese and her dancers was outfitted in BDSM leather, performing like they were in a fetish club in Berlin. The hot and saucy number even saw Dita riding a giant lipstick a la mechanical bull, while pulsating to Nathan Buillion’s remix of Dita’s song Bird Of Prey. It was hella hot. Like Kylie Minogue’s Agent Provocateur’s advert hot.
The grand finale involved her signature, cocktail glass act, but this time, instead of the classic martini glass, she danced and spun around in a giant, filigree copper coupe, adorned with Swarovski crystals to match her outfit. Which was so blinding, I thought there were LED lights sewn into the corset. Nope, just thousands, and thousands of hand-sewn crystals. WOW.
The rest of the acts were pretty fun and entertaining. Jonny McGovern, creator of the Hey Qween! Youtube channel, was the host and really knew how to get the audience pumped. There was Playboy model Gia Genevieve with her bubble bath act, Dirty Martini with her carousel horse dance and 44 inch bust, tasseled pasty twirling act, and Ginger Valentine and her boa performance of My Heart Belongs to Daddy. Jett Adore and Vontourage’s Alek Palinski & Elio Martinez provided some ‘boylesque’ entertainment. Something for everyone!
My favourite act was by Australian burlesque sensation, Zelia Rose. Apparently when Dita Von Teese saw her show, she just had to have Miss Burlesque Australia in her Copper Coupe tour. Zelia Rose’s styling reminded me a little of Josephine Baker and her ginormous feather fan dance was amazing. One to watch.
Another amazing triumph that only Dita Von Teese can request and pull off… no photos being taken during the show. Even though there were signs posted everywhere, stating violators will be ejected by the premises, or the handful of security watching out at the foot of the stage, or Jonny McGovern giving stern, joking not joking reminders, there’s always a chance that there’s that handful of people who’ll try. But for the Queen of Burlesque, everyone complied.
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