Magic vs Burlesque is a cabaret-style show that arbitrarily splits the crowd into two teams as Arron Jones and Fou Fou Kaboom battle it out to see which art form is better. After a small sampling of each, the audience takes part in a series of unique challenges to see which school of thought would be crowned the winner. Taking place post-midnight as a part of the Free Fringe, this is the perfect show for those longing for an injection of cabaret amidst their Fringe-centred busy schedules!
Those who have been following our blog for a little while will be aware that, over the past couple of years, we have developed an immense love of burlesque and have actually been lucky enough to judge a few burlesque competitions. It was at one of the aforementioned competitions that the audience were treated to the birth of Rhys Reveals (which you can watch on our Instagram page here). Conveniently, we wore the same shirt to Magic vs Burlesque at the Edinburgh Fringe as we did for our debut, so it was no surprise which side of the battle we were obviously supporting. In a coincidental stroke of fate, we were lucky enough to be placed on the burlesque side of the Voodoo Rooms, which was just perfect. The show was also an opportunity for us to finally see Fou Fou Kaboom’s egg number, which has been constantly appearing across our social media for what feels like months! For those who have not been fortunate enough to see this iconic performance, the number starts with Fou Fou entering in a wonderful full-sized egg costume, which ‘magically’ falls apart throughout the performance as she goes from coy and timid to wonderfully brazen and fully confident, with this journey being perfectly captured by Fou Fou throughout. The music itself deserves some attention as well, as the number starts with the wonderful “How Do You Like Your Eggs in the Morning?” (which holds a special place in our hearts, as we have fond memories of a radio DJ playing this during our journeys to school) and then transitions to the brilliantly joyous and energetic “The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga, which was cleverly altered to be about being on the “Egg of Glory.”
As previously stated, the two teams were tasked with competing in a series of unique and entertaining games, which saw the crowd instantly develop a sense of loyalty to whichever art form they were representing. The first game of the evening saw two special guests from each side of the audience take to the stage to play the most mature and risqué version of Pictionary I have ever seen! One member from each team was equipped with what can only be described as a harness with a protruding pencil in what would usually be described as an intimate area, as they were tasked with drawing a random picture selected from a bowl. The visual of this game was truly insane and bonkers, and was constantly met with fits of laughter from everyone in the audience. Another game saw another series of selected audience members take part in a burlesque-inspired “Carrot or No Carrot”, which was akin to the iconic game on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (made famous by the recently departed Sean Lock and the wonderful Jon Richardson). Instead of guessing if there was or was not a carrot in a box, the participants had to decide if Fou Fou’s pasties were a carrot or not a carrot. At the start of the game, one side was given a peek, with their opponent having to interrogate them as to whether or not they saw a carrot. They then had to decide if they wanted to swap sides or not. This unique and interesting game is something I can very easily see burlesque performers integrating into their acts, as it not only showcased Fou Fou’s fantastic abilities but also added a game-show-style twist that brought with it ample tension and excitement! The final game of the entire production/competition saw different audience members selected to go onto the stage, where they had to unroll a toilet roll as quickly as possible, causing everyone else to be covered in toilet paper by the end of the game. This was not the end, however, as the surprise twist was the fact that the teams now had to work together to re-roll the toilet paper back onto the roll, which just unleashed pure chaos from both teams.
In conclusion, Magic vs Burlesque, featuring Arron Jones and Fou Fou Kaboom, is a high-energy celebration of both prestigious art forms while also allowing the audience to experience the joy of cabaret! While the teams themselves had very little to do with which side they were representing, I did find myself very quickly getting involved with team chants and general team support, which is a testament to the captivating nature of both performers. I would rate this show 3 out of 5 stars!
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