It's...
Lashings of Ginger Beer Time!
21-29 August, 8.30pm, The Bongo Club
Can feminists be funny? Is funny the same as queer? And what exactly have the Dalek impersonations got to do with anything?
Queer. Feminist. Burlesque. How does that even work? Because, well, surely burlesque is all about women dancing around in tight corsets, and then stripping down to their undies for excitable male audiences? And feminists describe that kind of thing with words like 'objectification', and try to avoid it wherever possible... yes?
Well... almost.
Quick history lesson: burlesque originated as a satirical form of political commentary; it wasn't until the 1970s that everyone decided it meant stripping for posh people. Lashings of Ginger Beer Time (yes, for the observant amongst you, the initials spell LGBT - and 'Ginger Beer' is Cockney rhyming slang for queer!) is an effort to return burlesque to its historical roots, as a humorous variety show that turns preconceptions upside-down. Satire, you see?
So, while Lashings definitiely features corsets, thigh-high boots and the occasional cheekily-wielded riding crop, they are always included with an eye to the politics behind the scenes, and are likely to be as funny, subversive or scary as they are sexy. And the Lashings flavour of striptease is... well, it's best to see it first-hand, to be honest.
"If you want to see something really empowering and much closer to burlesque's historical roots...you need Lashings Of Ginger Beer Time" ★ ★ ★ ★
- The Scotsman
The group takes the sketch-show format of historical burlesque, and uses it to examine issues in queer and feminist politics, using song, dance, comedy, and more.
It's still titillation, but for the brain.
Our appearance at last year's Edinburgh Fringe created a bit of a splash, stirring up these features on Burlesque: The Scotsman, The Skinny
We're just back from a successful run by invitation at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, with a two-page feature and an interview in the latest issue of The Rag anarcha-feminist magazine, and an upcoming feature in the next edition of BoLT.
Press Photos
Click to enlarge
Carlotta and Galatea perform 'Love Story'
Queering the queen of happily-ever-after pop, we give this Taylor Swift song a princess-on-princess makeover.
Sebastienne and Lilka perform 'Favourite Things'
This shot illustrates the line, 'Put it on vibrate and wait 'til it rings'...
Sebastienne and Galatea perform 'You're the Top'
A kinky re-write of the Cole Porter classic, this paean to submission is almost always performed in period costume.
Sebastienne and Galatea perform 'Dead Girlfriend'
Dressed as Willow and Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they sing about the representation of queer characters in mainstream film & TV.
Queer Feminist Burlesque
It's what we do. Here Carlotta, Galatea, and Annalytica reflect on the theory behind the practice.
