House of Burlesque presents 'Burlesque Idol' Season 5 - January 2014

The last Friday of every month is a special day at Madame Jojo's. But don't take my word for it, go and experience it for yourself.

If you enjoy contests where the audience has the ultimate vote, then this is the perfect show. Burlesque Idol is where newcomers compete while showcasing their talent, convincing the crowd, and three judges, of their deserving place in the final, held in November 2014.

Madame Jojo's, legendary cabaret in the heart of Soho, enjoys a full house tonight; you can even spot the enthusiasts, showing off their retro or burlesque outfits.

The resident host and compère, Barnaby Slater, has an air of nonchalance as he arrives on stage. His calm disposition soon reveals his witty humour, as he interacts with the audience. His young look, untamed hair and braces remind me of a university student come comedian.

The panel of judges comprises burlesque internationally acclaimed performer, Tempest Rose, creator and producer of House of Burlesque; Delores Deluxe, resident judge, a founder and leader of 'The Kitten Club Burlesque Cabaret', London's longest running troupe. And finally, guest judge, Dolly Rose, international burlesque artist, teacher, and costume and vintage dance expert, who offers her invaluable contribution to tonight's show.

Personally, I am anticipating these acts with curiosity, wondering how these still-amateur performers can entertain a full crowd with success, and keep the vigorous and exciting momentum going.

The first contestant is Bollywood meets Burlesque, Hermione Lydne. Gracing the stage with a beautiful green sari, Hermione performs a seductive dance, barefoot. Using her beautiful 'butterfly' wings from her costume, she smiles all the way through, to the great cheer of the spectators.
Hermione hypnotises the room with a slow-paced, artistic and graceful act.

As the next contestant, Signorina Fabialosa, enters the stage, the spectators welcome her with fervent acclamation. Wearing a black corseted outfit and a riding crop, Fabialosa's confidence on stage is no indicator that she only qualified the previous month. Teasing the crowd second by second, this Diva promises a grand finale to her act. And to the pleasure of the audience, Fabiolasa reveals her Italian-flagged tassels, provoking a wave of loud applause.

Great start to the first contest of 2014. Burlesque Idol, in its 5th season, is a very popular event in the world of Burlesque. Its format might remind us of the many television contests with a panel of judges, and contestants providing entertainment for the audience, but Burlesque Idol reveals to be attracting big crowd incessantly.

Next on stage, Aurora Blu sways in with elegance in her blue, long feathered train and corset. A performance in two acts gives a more professional feel to her production. However, it would have been nice for her fast paced movements to have been slowed down, in order to appreciate her sensual grace. This doesn't deter the audience who applauds her performance with energy.

The first act after the interval comes from a far away place, Canada, with Susie Vavoom, whose confidence on stage takes the whole audience by storm. Her 1950s performance, with her unique Marilyn Monroe revival, reveals a success with the spectators. Although not all judges appreciate her lip sync performance, her sassiness enchants the crowd.

Last but not least, Whisky Falls enters the stage with great poise and salacious manner. Her grand stage presence wows the audience as she interacts with the spectators. Her second act, with a rock'n roll beat, brings her a grand ovation from the whole crowd. You can almost hear all those hearts racing in the room, including the host's…! I am not convinced she is an amateur!

Although a newcomers contest, Burlesque Idol is not just about the contestants. The three judges delighted the crowd with a piece of their own repertoire. Easy to spot the pros, each one of them gave an outstanding performance. It is not just about the acts but the complicity they have with the audience. These three performers have a unique way of enticing the spectators.

This is what makes Burlesque Idol a great event. Not only the audience gets to vote for their favourite performance, but we also have the massive pleasure of enjoying three acts from eminent burlesque legends.
And tonight, the three judges certainly enthralled the spectators.

And so the time to reveal the winner arrived… As these gorgeous ladies entered the stage, waiting for the verdict, the energy in the room was one of excitement.  Everybody anticipated the results while shouting the name of their favourite performer.

But as always, only one can leave with the trophy, and tonight the winner was….. Whisky Falls…!!

Well deserved, as far as I am concerned, although I always admire the brilliance of all performers.

It was a great night, and judging by the participation of the crowd, it is one of the best events in London!

A must-see show, all the way till the end!

For more information, visit the House of Burlesque web site: www.houseofburlesque.co.uk

All House of Burlesque events are listed in: www.burlesquemap.co.uk

For full profiles of tonight's judges, some of the contestants and many more shows and events, order copies of Burlesque Map London at: http://www.burlesquemap.co.uk/buy_burlesque_map.asp



Eva Lamour






Photography by: JAMES DRURY

Barnaby Slater

Hermione Lydne

Signorina Fabialosa

Aurora Blu

Dolly Rose - Tempest Rose - Delores Deluxe

Susie Vavoom

Whisky Falls

Delores Deluxe

Tempest Rose

Dolly Rose

Winner: Whisky Falls

Cabaret Roulette's Ghost Stories at Madame Jojo's - Soho, London - October 2013

www.burlesquemap.co.uk

Created and produced by Vivacity Bliss, Cabaret Roulette is a burlesque show where all is a gamble. A new concept from the imagination of Vivacity, and born to bring you a flavour of the unexpected.

How does it work?

The public suggests various themes for future shows, on Cabaret Roulette's Facebook page. Then, on the night of a show, the audience chooses one theme among the most popular suggestions. The performers, who accept the challenge, have only a few weeks after the vote, to create their act.

If you remember some of the 1990s shows, where stand up comedians had to come up with witty lines from ideas thrown by the public, then you will appreciate how fast-working and imaginative these performers must be, in order to bring the audience a magnificent show.

Tonight's theme was Ghost Stories, maybe anticipating Halloween.

At the door, the Bloody Irish Catholic nun was ready to welcome you with her ghostly complexion. Putting the public in the mood for tonight's show, crazy Sister Euphemia (aka Ruth Young) was spookily friendly.

Lady Boudoir, the compère for the night, transpired to be quite a rebel in her own way. Whether she was in character, or just improvising, her language was more than ghostly…!

However, the performances made up for any small mishap. First on stage, Stage Door Johnny, a musical comedian, reminded me of Peter Kay's humour. The Northern wit and warmth took the whole room into a frenzy of laughter, again and again. Portraying a psychic medium, possessed by a spirit, he lost himself into a dancing act. Absolutely brilliant and hilarious…!

Ghost stories was the theme, and every performer had committed to it, so when magicians and comedians, Griffin & Jones, came on stage, curiosity struck as to how they would portray a ghost story. After choosing a woman from the audience, and asking her to pick a story from a book, Jones had to guess which one she had chosen.  After enduring sticky tape over his mouth, and being possessed by a spirit, Jones finally produced out of his mouth, the page the spectator had chosen at the beginning. A wonderful magic trick that brought the whole room in unison when exclaiming a loud "Wow…!".

When Anna Lou appeared with her accordion, nobody expected such a grand act with dry humour. Parisian chanteuse performing her ghost story comedy song 'Sleeping time sex-ghost' was a true jewel…! Anna Lou oozes talent, confidence incorporating banter, and perfectly done saucy bawdy humour…! Hip hip hooray for Anna Lou who received a standing ovation, as the whole crowd cheered frantically.

For a dancing troupe, maybe the challenge was a bit trickier, but Figs in Wigs astonished us when they choreographed 'Ghostbusters'. A bit cliché, you might think, but they were visually greatly entertaining, and judging by the ongoing applause, the audience enjoyed their performance considerably.

But nothing topped the Shirley Windmill act 'Funny bones', which, for me, was just fantastic! Shirley, in her skeleton onesie, rapped a ghost story that took the whole audience into a frenzy of delight, with laughter, hysteria and cheers. Her face expression and body language made the whole act the most original of the night! With her: 'Dark, dark cellar, in a dark, dark house, in a dark, dark street" she charmed and wowed the whole audience. Magical, Miss Shirley Windmill…!!

Tonight's show was filled with creative talent and was a massive success. It brought a variety of acts together under one theme, under the watchful critical eye of an audience, who seemed in awe of all the performers. Considering that many come back frequently, the gamble has paid off, Miss Vivacity Bliss…!!

If you want burlesque cabaret with a twist and tales of the unexpected, then Cabaret Roulette is the one…!
November 13th is their 1st Birthday party, a perfect reason to attend. After a two months' break, Cabaret Roulette will return in February with a 'Science' theme, then March will be 'Celebrities'. Choose one or all of them. Gamble your night away! You won't regret it…!!

Eva Lamour


Photography by: James Drury

Constance Peach and Lady Boudoir

Stage Door Johnny

Griffin and Jones

Griffin and Jones - with spectator

Chilli Blush

Anna Lou

Figs in Wigs

Shirley Windmill

Johnny Macaulay

Twisted Crown at the London World Burlesque Games 2012 - at Madame Jojo's - 9th May

Chaz Royal's Twisted Crown delivered one of the freakiest shows in burlesque cabaret at Madame Jojo's.
Showcasing a cast of performers with a touch of the twisted mind, we all expected the best of bizarre.

Freaky from the start, the theatrically strange character, Benjamin Louche, with his big eerie eyes, creepy disposition and his mysterious air owns the stage, winning the audience over. A brilliant host for the Twisted cabaret, Benjamin Louche matches his lexicon to his character: unusual, daring and creative...! The perfect compère for the weird and freaky. Not only he engages the crowd, he provokes, pushes boundaries and keeps the humour till the end...!

Benjamin Louche


The Twisted Cabaret is where burlesque meets fetish, complete with BDSM and a touch of ghastly. After all, where on earth would you find two Canadian entertainers playing the masochist game? The Monsters of Schlock are raving bonkers using the most vile props: mousetrap, electric bat, an animal trap, and a sledgehammer with a concrete breeze-block. Twisted performers? Yes, but even more twisted crowd...! Plenty of 'Ooohhs' and 'Aaaahs' but let's face it, these perverted minds love it..! A bunch of sadists who thoroughly enjoyed this unusual side of burlesque...! And judging by this packed room and the spectators' reactions, it is obvious that Chaz Royal has a good insight as to what his public wants...!!

The Monsters of Schlock


Thankfully, we get a respite from the masochism; not all acts have you on the edge of your seat...!

Bettina Spakenhaus performs her Phantom of the Opera act, with her 'companion' attached to her, demonstrating great coordination skills. The flirting, the kissing, the dancing, it is a mixture of bizarre and beautiful, all the way to the sensual finish. An act worth a place in the Twisted cabaret.

Bettina Spakenhaus


Aliens and Gremlins probably applied for tonight's show, and so very kindly, weird but wonderfully talented V J Spankie obliged, parading with a gremlin on her backside. A brilliant entertainer and one I always enjoy watching, her very personal touch, and creativity, brings originality to any act; worthy to be applauded. A parody of David Bowie in Labyrinth, and playing with 'her big cock', her show has plenty of wit, dare and fun. What a performance!

V J Spankie


From Gremlin to Harlequin, Zora Vipera, a Swiss performer, wows us with her attire and her wonderful fire breathing act.
Part of the enjoyment of burlesque is undoubtedly the costumes, the grand and unusual way performers own the stage with beautiful outfits. While we all enjoyed the weird and freaky, I can't help admiring Zora's theatrical piece, with all the glamour and a zest of the unusual and sensual...!

Zora Vipera


Competing for the Twisted Crown, tonight's performers are all worthy of the winning place, as Chaz has gathered first rate entertainers who do freaky burlesque the grand way, bringing us beautiful, bizarre and weird.

But the Twisted show could not exist without the freakiest character of all...! We have seen him perform before and whether we get his humour or not, Big Chief Random Chaos is certainly chaotic, loud, bonkers and daring all the way...! Dragging a man from the audience, whom he chooses to call 'Jeff', Big Chief takes on the mission to traumatise the poor soul who is subjected to tribal lap dance, followed by a striptease... The audience, who falls over in stitches, cheers for more... He gets spanked by Jeff, sets his mohican on fire and performs his big finale right in the midst of the crowd... An entertainer who has us on the edge of our seat, never knowing what is coming next...! No wonder he took the crown tonight...! Freaky? Absolutely... but showbusiness, all the way...! In my view, they were all winners tonight, because it takes the most creative performers to offer us such a sublime array of wonder.... Bravo to you all...!!



Eva Lamour



Winner: Big Chief Random Chaos

1st Runner Up: The Monsters of Schlock

2nd Runner Up: V J Spankie

Big Chief Random Chaos



Other Performers:

Kitty Ribbons
Bambam Blue
Bettina Spankenhaus
Lottie Kixx
Zora Vipera

PHOTOS BY JAMES DRURY

The whole troupe

Bambam Blue

Lottie Kixx

Twisted Cabaret - London Burlesque Week 2011

Benjamin Louche

 Madame Jojo's hosted Chaz Royal's London Burlesque Week 2011 'Twisted Cabaret', showcasing a list of bizarre, eccentric and grisly acts. A show where theatrical cabaret met the dark, alternative burlesque entertainment.

Benjamin Louche, with his theatrical grandeur and eerie stare, was the perfect compère for this unconventional cabaret show, promising to take you beyond ordinary burlesque parody.

A rendez-vous for the weird, unusual and creepy, the audience anticipated this spectacle with much ardor. For those whose only experience of burlesque was limited to the vaudeville entertainment, light comic stage play, they were in for a real surprise.

And surprised the audience was, at the entertainment value of some of the bizarre acts. The Monsters of Schlock had us in waves of cheers and ghastly 'wows', with their most bizarre and eccentric 'condom' act, and others such as their mouse trap or should I say, 'head trap' act.

Whilst Vivid Angel had the audience screaming with her hilarious 'squirting vagina' that she, so generously, directed at the crowd, at the end of a witty, parodic sexual raunchy act.

But for weird, Big Chief Random Chaos performed some fire act in one of the oddest ways, setting fire to his mohican, and finishing amongst the audience for his finale, taking everybody by surprise, not knowing what he could possibly do next.

Yes, the 'Twisted Cabaret' was fabulously weirdly performed with some of the most eccentric acts in burlesque entertainment... A night not for the fainthearted! 

The Monsters of Schlock

Vivid Angel

BigChiefRandomChaos

Eva Lamour