Went to see Dolls, Doves and a Diva at Trades Hall the other night. Was a spur of the moment choice, and I was so glad we did. Katie Underwood sings sultry blues beautifully, Cath Jamison’s magic ensures the audience are part of the show, and the sexy pair of dancers, Erin and Kelly-ann engaged us all with their sassy antics. Fantabulously frivolous fun.
Mike - 6/4/08
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What’s not to love about a burlesque cabaret show? Women get to purr over lush costumes and the best damn lingerie collection this side of Paris, and men get to purve at gorgeous, scantily clad women. But this type of performance should also proffer a show bag of clever parody, performance skill and pure sanguine entertainment. Dolls, Doves and a Diva may seem more like a snapshot of something bigger, but you’ll have a blast with this vaudevillian delight.

The players: Cath Jamison, resident magician; Katie Underwood, diva and songstress; and the burlesque dolls, Erin Walsh and Kelly-Ann Doll. The night weaves these diverse acts in and out of one another in a flurry of colour and exuberance. By the end of the show it’s difficult not to be endeared to this fabulous cast of performers.

If someone had fore-warned me that this show had a magician in it, the contemptuous adult fool in me would’ve taken a running jump. But I am now, officially, in love with Cath Jamison. She is a confident, sassy, engaging performer who is naturally funny and a really bloody talented magician. It’s worth seeing this show just to witness a glass levitating and to hear your own inner child squealing uncontrollably. This woman is pure, unadulterated entertainment.

Playing on her time in the spotlight (any smart girl’s favourite Bardot), Katie Underwood hams up the expectation that she may very well be a diva. Perhaps she really is just a lovely person because her diva antics weren’t really believable. As a singer she is solid with some truly tantalising tones; her rendition of ’Fever’ was one of the highlights of the evening and gave a few men in the audience a raging fever, I’m sure. Some of the other songs, unfortunately, lacked a little verve. I couldn’t help wondering that some live instrumentation might have given the songs the body and vigor they required.

The dolls are just that: something gorgeous and perfect you just wanna take home and play dress-ups with. Their duel act where they come out wielding dangerously large "hooters" demonstrates parody at its finest, clever and subversive. A few times the dolls did err on the lack lustre. Even when dancing around in great lingerie and miming to a backing track, the audience still requires that element of surprise and edgy aptitude that you come to expect from proficient physical performance.

Overall, this show is loads of fun and well worth seeing. When the person sitting next to you ends up with a watermelon on their lap which was pulled out of magic suitcase in the first few minutes of the show, then you know you’re in for a riotous, ramshackle and entertaining time.

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5 Shows to go!!
Wed - Sun @ 7.15pm
Book your tickets at www.comedyattrades.com.au or get to the box office before the show!
Meeting Room: Trades Hall
Cnr Lygon Sts & Victoria St , City
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