Over the last couple of years, I have been lucky enough the experience a plethora of unique ways to welcome the festive season! From drag queens singing carols in St Andrews church (which you can read about https://rhysreviews.com/2023/11/19/del-lightful-debuts-performance-review/) to a camp and queer retelling of the iconic the lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe staring theWelsh drag icon Polly Amourous (which you can read about at Review The Lion, the B*tch and the Wardrobe, Wales Millennium Centre by Rhys Payne – Get The Chance) to a wine-fuelled virtual concert with West End star Blake Patrick Anderson (which you can read about at https://www.westendbestfriend.co.uk/news/review-blake-patrick-anderson-mulled-wine?format=amp) and this year I am starting the festive season by watching some people sensual remove items of clothing to iconic Christmas tunes! Having only seen my first ever burlesque show a mere month ago (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/11/19/del-lightful-debuts-performance-review/) I have very quickly been quickly obsessed with not only this art form but also the company that organises these events! I have to admit that when it was first announced that the amazing Del-Fflur productions would be hosting a festive frolics burlesque show, I could not get my head around the contradiction of Christmas being the coldest time of the year and burlesque getting metaphorically hot very quickly! The honour of hosting this sexy Christmas show was bestowed upon Tiny Rebel (where we recently saw a drag cabarette show called Hell Haus which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/10/23/hell-haus-production-review/?) which is a fun venue that provided a private area which is perfect for the strip teasing that the performers will do!
The entire event was compared by the talented Venus Flytrap who is similar I was familiar with due to her DJing stints at the local gay bars (and the occasional song at the end of the night) but I have never actually realised what a talented hostess she is! Venus made sure to introduce the rules of burlesque to the audience at the beginning of the show so that everyone would feel safe and welcome as well as introducing each of the acts , getting the audience excited for each performance and even treating us to a series of fabulous performances. The first of which was the incredible “Don’t Rain on My Parade” originally by Barbra Streisand. Venus sounded absolutely amazing taking on the iconic show tune which was a fabulous start to the evening. I was also not aware of how insanely funny Venus Flytrap was as she had the audience howling with laughter throughout. One of my favourite jokes of the evening was from Venus where she said that she was recently an usher for her sister’s wedding … the singing was great but she didn’t enjoy the blackface! Later in the evening, she picked out an audience member to be a human mic stand as she performed which was brilliant and had the audience laughing constantly! At the end of the evening, we were also treated to a rendition of the iconic “Let it go” where her partner helped to create the theatrics of snow powers from behind Venus which had the audience in hysterics throughout! I have seen a version of this routine on social media and/or by other drag performers, but no one does it like Venus!
Co-founder of Del Fflurs Productions and all-round amazing person Lili Del Fflur (who we recently interviewed on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/oLe5eRTd7vs?si=4JGWZh6y0oABSonH) was the first burlesque performer to grace the stage at this event and she set the standard for what to expect from everyone else. Lili performed with every fibre of her being with the most fabulous facial reactions which makes for incredibly entertaining performances. Her second performance of the evening went for a much more comedic side of burlesque as she graced the stage as a Christmas elf who had big dreams of being a dancer which distracts her from doing her toy-making job. This performance was wonderfully festive but also totally mesmerising as her camp/comedic talents were showcased. The number contained a Santa voice that blasted through Tiny Rebel as the Father Christmas told off his helper for stripping on the show floor which was a nice bit of theatrics that helped to elevate the entire performance! The other half of Dem-fflurs production is the fabulous Lana Del Red who gave my favourite performance of the entire evening. Starting the routine Lana was dressed as a snow person complete with a top hat, wonderfully ice-infused make-up, a carrot which was later thrown into the audience, and a buttoned-up coat and scarf which fitted the snow person storyline being portrayed. What I really enjoyed about this number is the fact that the costume was peeled off throughout the evening as if the snow person was melting away as the performance itself got hotter and sexier as the track progressed. This narrative was perfectly contrasted and performed which made for an incredibly entertaining performance! I also thoroughly enjoyed their milk and cookies performance later in the evening alongside the aforementioned Lili Del Fflur as the former really amped up the sensuality of her performance and the latter really amped up the child-like innocence as if at a sleepover with one mature and one very young child.
One of the most entertaining performances of the evening came from Suit Kase who graced the stage as an oversized Christmas tree with balloons dangling from every inch of the outfit. As the number progressed the performer proceeded to pop the balloons as a very unique reveal as an alternative to the traditional removal of clothes. Suit Kase was the embodiment of how I feel during the festive season covered in tinsel and a lovely green wig as rocking around the Christmas tree blasted around the venue. I thought this routine was unique, creative and extremely exciting which meant that the audience erupted every time one of the balloons was popped! Now there is this unfair stereotype that burlesque is just for women but the insane Llewelyn proved that it is an art form open to everyone! They looked absolutely stunning in a white outfit complete with a massive burgundy bow both of which he had apparently made themselves which is incredibly impressive! If there is any Christmas song that is begging to be used in a burlesque show it is Santa Baby which Llewelyn cleverly selected and looked absolutely stunning while performing! Every movement and reveal was totally mesmerising and the audience loved every single second of the performance! Later in the evening they also gave his support during Venus’s “let it go routine” and as the snow cues became more and more frantic Llewelyn was visibly confused leading to some hilarious facial reactions and chaotic snow explosions!
Overall, festive frolics was a sensual and sexy way to welcome the festive period while also showcasing a plethora of local talent throughout. Each performer tapped into a different style of burlesque from comedy, and theatrical to more of a masculine infusion which made for a very exciting show. I would rate this show 4.5 stars out of 5!
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