The four Twisted Sisters – Honey, Ariel, Melody and Verity Twist – present a traditional vaudeville show of short acts that dazzle with a range of skill and entertainment values. Opening with a dance and contortion mime routine to The Andrews Sisters’ hit ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’, the performers impress with their technical skills as well as clever costumes, bright smiles and infectious enthusiasm. Other acts feature a mixture of solo, duo, trio and group work, as well as the Fringe staple of audience member entrapment. A variety of charming short films play between acts, buying time for costume changes without losing the vaudeville vibe.
The various live performances were delightful and inspirational, particularly for the many young girls in the audience, presenting many further possibilities in developing dance, callisthenics and circus skills. Each act was precisely performed and self-contained for the length of its song, always leaving the crowd wanting more. Particular highlights included the well-considered choreography, and the Twisted Sisters’ success in working tightly together in group and duet work, always precisely with the lyrics. While the sensibility stayed relentlessly retro, there were tongue-in-cheek references to more recent hits, notably a re-worked version of ‘Papa Don’t Preach’.
The premise of short film clips between acts was good, but slowed the pace of the evening, with the screen an inadequate size for the projections. However, a more fundamental issue with the concept is that, in this age of YouTube, what would have been a charming showcase of rare archival footage less than a decade ago now seems more reminiscent of a wasted evening in front of the home computer.
Sound and lighting were disappointing, and detracted from the overall presentation, with random snippets of song, soundtracks not starting at the same time as film clips, and delays in stage lighting changes creating small pauses that also drained energy from the show. The costumes, conversely, were a technical triumph, from sharp military-style uniforms to an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow-polka dot bikini – ooh la la! The costumes used on the hoop trapeze amazed with their elegance while still allowing the necessary freedom of movement for the acrobatic displays.
The Twisted Sisters delivered on all fronts, with Vintage and Variety fully represented. However, there were too many technical hiccups for such a short show, and it would be good to see more live performance in preference to the screened shorts, even if that means the Twist family needs to adopt some new members.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Twisted Sisters’ Vintage Variety Hour
Performed by Honey, Arial, Melody and Verity Twist
Circus Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre
25 – 31 January
Fringe World 2013
www.fringeworld.com.au
25 January – 24 February
