London cabaret characters Bernadette Byrne (performed by Jennifer Byrne) and Victor-Victoria (Victoria Falconer-Pritchard) hurl their slick, full-throttle, brazen musical comedy about sex, self-help and many other titillating delights on the same spectrum, at an appreciative, if at times surprised, audience. 

‘Bernie’ looks part glamorous dominatrix, part Madam, part Lady Gaga and has a pair of lungs that can sing the arse of any tune. Her classy vocals fill the room effortlessly, as she tells of her past sexual triumphs. 

By contrast, ‘Victie’, her half-man / half-woman androgynous handmaiden, is an absolute demon on keys, accordion and handsaw. S/he thumps that piano hard and shows great skill on the saw, all the while sharing with us the frustration engendered by unrequited love for her promiscuous mistress.

The hour races along at a fixed, fast and furious pace, as the duo launch straight into searching for their ideal ‘man-beast’, somewhere in the crowd. ‘Wyatt-Jono’ is created, much to the delight of all, including the men themselves. 

The cabaret features a lot of audience interaction, for the men especially. Lucky Scott is all too keen to show his pelvic motion and thrust, and is a show in himself, momentarily stealing the limelight as the perfect audience participant.

Perverts is not for the faint hearted, as each song thrusts the audience head first into its sexy lair. With choruses such as ‘Is It In Yet?’, ‘Potential Stalker’, ‘Suicide Pussy’, ‘Endless Erection’ and ‘Danger Wank’, the songs speak for themselves.

The highlight for many is a ditty about the orgasm face, which fuses emojis and a knockout German inspired dance track: the perfect showcase for the duo’s high-energy and polished talents.

While overall, Perverts might be a bit too ‘one note’ for some (a few near me look a bit tired by the time the forced encore is announced), the majority are fully entertained, still clapping and stomping along gleefully, right to the end of the final song. 

As a comedy romp, Perverts will be right up your alley if you’re looking for something completely different, packed with girl-power, passion and lewd sass. These two have mastered their formula down to a T.

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East End Cabaret comes to New Zealand for the first time ever following sell-out shows in London, Edinburgh and the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Billed as a “high-powered ‘Flight of the Concords’, dipped in acid, drenched in smut” the show is an in-your-face, audio-visual feast of psychedelia and comedy.

The show is gripping from the get-go with Bernadette Byrne (played by Jennifer Byrne) and Victor Victoria (Victoria Falconer-Pritchard) striking a bizarre and enticing contrast, their glamorous outfits reminiscent of new-wave, cabaret and everything in between.

Bernadette looks the epitome of a classy European heiress – somewhere between Cruella Deville, Kate Bush and Noel Fielding in sequins – while Victor provides a slightly more masculine character, combining elements of sideshow freaks and circus ringmasters to create a character dressed like a mixture of Clockwork Orange and the German electro band Kraftwerk. 

And it’s not just their costumes which span the genres. Their unique brand of musical comedy takes the audience on a journey of love, lust, heartbreak, confusion and general hilarity via the musical powers of cabaret singing, heavy synth tunes, big pop anthems, and even some sassy rap.   

East End Cabaret is like the mutant child of a Victorian circus, locked away in the Pet Shop Boys basement and forced to watch nothing but Eurovision. However it called Perverts, so not for the prudish, with the songs covering pivotal moments in the duo’s life such as danger wanks, the “Is it in yet?” question and even a song entitled ‘Suicide Pussy’.

Come prepared to sing along, dance and possibly even get licked in one of the weirdest, sexiest and funniest shows in the comedy festival. 

7pm at the Fringe Bar until this Saturday 6^th May.

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