The Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC) Cremorne Theatre has gone through a transformation over the last few years, becoming one of Meanjin's go-to intimate cabaret and circus venues. Starting out as an experiment during COVID, it has now played host to Aussie cabaret royalty including Reuben Kaye, Chelse McGuffin and Jacqueline Furey. 2023 continues the trend with the latest troupe to call it home ready to make you Blush!

Blush by Highwire Entertainment has hit the Cremorne for an epic six-week season, and features Paul Westbrook, Chris Carlos, Sophie Secombe, Christine Ibrahim, Lyndon Johnson and Jessie McKibbin, a cast of disgustingly talented circus and cabaret performers from across the country. Pitched as circus for adults, it has something literally for everyone. Epic skills? Check. Gorgeous performers? Check. Sexy and seductive sex-positive acts for all tastes? Check, check and check.

And not that you need more of an incentive, but most of the cast were either born locally or have long connections to our part of the country.

Go ahead, I'll wait until you've bought your tickets.

Still need convincing? Well, Ads J. caught up with three members of the cast, Christine, Sophie and Chris to hear all about the show, why it stands out from typical 'adult cabaret’ and why you simply must see it before the season ends on 12 February.

The team first shared a few words they'd use to describe Blush.

Christine: Sexy. Progressive.
Sophie: Fun. Well-paced.
Chris: Subversive, non heteronormative. boundary pushing.

Going further, the team calls Blush a ‘A non-traditional, sexy adult circus’.

Chris: [It's] a non heteronormative look at sexuality through the scope of circus, aerials and opera.
Christine: Giving women a lot more power in the show as opposed to passive roles catering to a generic male gaze as seen on traditional cabaret stages.

Blush is a multi-award winning show that has been touring for more than five years both in Australia and internationally, including a full season at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the biggest Fringe festival in the world. Reflecting on what has giving the show such a long life, Chris notes:

It's fun. It balances comedy, skill and integrity. And although we do have kink and fetish acts in there, it's not gratuitous. It's not for shock factor. We've purposely made the kink and fetish acts palatable for those people who have no exposure to it. I think if we went down the route of shock value, we wouldn't be as commercially viable, but because we've made a conscious effort to do that, that's led itself towards success.

Blush was born five years ago as a response to the 'sexy adult cabarets' that were becoming increasingly popular.

Chris: Six of us got hired to create the show - three acrobats, one singer, a generalist and a Paul.

The question had to be asked, "What's a Paul?"

Chris: Mate you tell me, I don't know, I'm still trying to work it out.

Chris is referring to cast member Paul Westbrook, who brings a very … unique, chaotic and hilarious mix of dance, MCing, clown, and burlesque to the show.

Chris: We spent two weeks in a theatre, making a show we wanted to make. Inclusive, representative, non heteronormative… an antithesis to a particular show at the time that was quite big, the same old sexy adult circus cabaret.

The original creative team saw the typical ‘sexy adult circus cabaret’ as displaying a very basic and 'cheap' form of sexuality, and they were keen to try something different, something more genuine, which has continued through subsequent casts. The trio reflected on what makes Blush stand out from these other sexy adult circus cabarets.

Christine: For me, I think the main difference is the way that queer relationships are displayed without fetishizing them. There's a lot of same sex female representation that's geared towards the male gaze, whereas I feel that the show is really genuine in displaying affection, sexuality and intimacy on stage, rather than for the sake of it or being gratuitous. So that has just been really nice to be a part of.

But with all of that, the team have been surprised that the one issue that has come up has been that the show contains some male nudity. One journalist even took issue with it in a pre-show interview.

Chris: I told him there was nudity in the show and he was quite excited. Because we're inclusive, if we have the feminine and it is really important to have representation for masculinity as well. And he said, I only like one of them though, and I'm like, “Well, you just represent half the demographic.” And he literally said, “I don't want to see a male penis.”
Christine: Some of the reviews we received had a bit of a stab at the male nudity, but not the female nudity, because Australian audiences especially are very used to women being sexualized in that way. They're not as accepting of males being portrayed that way. So I think that this show is really great to be a part of because it's breaking that down and not in a way where it's lecturing anyone about it … And the success of the show sort of shows how much people are changing, like how much views are changing on sexuality.
Chris: It was a very conscious thought that if we have representation for one level of sexuality, it has to be mirrored in the spectrum of sexual attraction. The really good thing about partner acrobatics is it teaches you intimate non sexual touch. There's a lot of trust, a lot of intimacy around that. That's something that acrobats are very used to, that you don't get a lot of in society. But that isn't often portrayed on stage in a non sexual way. I think we do both the loving and caring and the sexual in a very non-cheap way. And yeah, being able to put them both on stage is quite, I think, important.

And these diverse representations of sexuality, intimacy and desire are showcased through a staggering number of skills and acts in the show including partner acrobatics, toss, dance trapeze, duo rou cyr wheel, duo straps, fire twirling, fire eating, burlesque, clown, dance, handstanding, shibari, and whip cracking. And there's very little faffing around between the acts by the Blush crew. You won't want to look away in case you miss some of the action.

Chris: The show is rapid fire.
Christine: Yeah. If one act is not your thing, they are short sharp acts and the next one will be completely different.

While there isn't a dull moment in the show, highlights include Sophie's hand-balancing on canes act. The act is performed with and supported by the other femme members of the troupe and is an ode to women's empowerment. The act was originally developed by Annalise Moore and is performed to a track that includes a sample from legendary writer Maya Angelou.

Sophie: I saw Rachel Boyd, the flyer before me, do [this act] and whenever I'm feeling a little low, not up to being onstage, I remember how I felt watching the show, how powerful it was. I like it because it's not surface level … It kind of talks about intersectionality within feminism.

Christine also shows why she's known as the Cirque Songstress by singing while performing on silks.

Christine: There isn't anyone else in Australia who combines classical vocals and aerial silks. I had to sort of teach myself how to do it. Contemporary vocal in the air I got within about six months, but it took me about two years of training to get my classical voice to work in the air and I have been combining these art forms for over 10 years now.

Some of the kink-inspired acts showcased in Blush will be new for many punters, particularly the one that uses Shibari, a style of bondage using rope that originated in Japan. Chris has been developing this act since the pandemic and performs it in the show with Christine.

Chris: I was locked down in Melbourne and I just spent hours in my room tying a mannequin, and learning how to put it on stage. Because of the power play that comes into shibari, we really want to make sure that the person who we are tying in the act has the power, because if you are in a submissive role in a dynamic relationship like that, the power is with the submissive person. So we wanted to put that on stage.

Discussing this act highlights how the Blush team has a very different approach to performing than many other companies - the importance of enthusiastic consent to all acts before each show.

Christine: We're given so much autonomy about what we feel comfortable with.
Chris: And that changes from day to day as well.
Christine: Like, we might pull it back or push it a bit more depending on where our energy is. Or if someone's had a breakup, or, you know, whatever it is. Especially with Shibari. I haven't done this type of act before and I wouldn't do that act with everyone, because it's a very genuine act. Chris actually ties the rope on me, either before the show or during intermission. It's not a costume, so we're doing shibari every night. I think the kink world still gets shamed a lot, especially in Australia, and it's some of the best, like most caring circles that I've been a part of. So to be able to do it on stage with someone that I can trust to break down some of the stigma that surrounds that world is really nice.

There's a genuine bond between the performers that comes from working together so intensely to create and tour a show like Blush, despite the varying experience in the group.

Chris has been in it for the long haul. He started fire spinning, travelling the country picking fruit and performing fire at doofs, before he moved to Melbourne for corporate work. It was there that he eventually found his way to a degree at NICA, the National Institute of Circus Arts. Since then he's toured the world with companies such as Highwire Entertainment and Gravity and Other Myths and founded and runs two annual circus festivals, the Australian Partner Acrobatics Convention (APAC) and Spin Fest.

Chris: I'm on the edge of retiring. For an acrobat, I'm quite old. It's like dog years. Every year you're an acrobat, it's three years of ageing to your body. So yeah, I'm 67. An old horse put out to pasture, but in the really nice field [that is Blush].

Coming back to Blush has been like coming home for Chris, who rejoined Blush at the same time as castmate Lyndon Johnson.

Chris: Lyndon and I were both in Gravity and Other Myths [before Blush], a big company that's well established and quite well known internationally. It was fantastic working for them, but I didn't really feel at home. Coming back to Rouge, I felt like these people are the kind of weirdos that I get along with.

Christine is a classically trained performer with a background in rhythmic gymnastics, who decided to combine her vocals with circus after seeing an aerialist perform.

Christine: I thought it would be easy and lied to a booker that I have a singing aerial act. And then had to make one! I was very luckily stubborn and naive. I would never have started doing it if I knew how hard it was.

Christine joined the Blush team after the show's producer Elena Kirschbaum saw her perform at the 2022 Adelaide Fringe and the Blush team urgently needed a singer for a new tour.

Christine: And [Elena] just called me and said, Hey, could you learn the show in two days and go do a regional tour in Far North Queensland? And then we were just doing one show, bumping out that night, the driving for seven hours. Literally, one of the shows we did was in a basketball court in the middle of nowhere. The role fit me really well and the producer loved the addition of singing aerial to the show and it has lead to multiple tours and inclusion in the official Blush family.

Sophie started in ballet and then was immersed in the world of gymnastics from the age of 10 until she finished high school. She only joined the circus world two years ago.

Sophie: I was at West End markets and saw people doing circus. I was like, well, that's cool. And then I went to this incredible circus festival called APAC.

Sophie got to know Chris and fellow cast mate Lyndon there and then trained with them again at last year's Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Sophie: They needed a new flyer and every established flyer in this country was busy. Right place, right time situation.
Chris: I was doing a short acrobatics training course at Adelaide fringe with Lyndon, and I was one of Sophie’s coaches. We saw her potential there and auditioned her and she was the clear front runner. That potential and her trajectory from starting from nothing two years ago to now is more than extraordinary.

After being given the wrap-up from their producer, I had to ask Chris and Sophie what it was like to perform in one of the most iconic venues in town. They were both born mere kilometres from QPAC and grew up watching shows there.

Sophie: It's the best thing ever. We went to Edinburgh Fringe and I'd never heard of that before. I was like, "Whoa, this is cool.". But then when I found out we were performing here, I was like, wow! I saw the ballet for the first time [here] when I was six and then decided I wanted to be a ballerina. So it's very exciting for me.
Chris: I watched Zen Zen Zo here 20 years ago in high school. And I've got high school friends that I've not seen in 20 years coming to see this season, which is so cool.

I couldn't end without asking the trio why local audiences should come see Blush at QPAC.

Chris: We did a redevelopment of Blush for Edinburgh Fringe in August last year and really pumped up the show, because Edinburgh Fringe is one of the biggest stages for a show to be able to do. For Australians to go over there it's very expensive and it's a very big risk, so we did a lot of development to make the show a lot better. And without being biased, I think it's the best cast and the best show yet. A lot of things have been developed over the years, and the skill level just keeps getting higher and higher. And we get more comfortable in the roles and it is running really well.
Sophie: It's a pretty good night out. People are always telling me you guys look like you're having so much fun together on stage. And we really are.
Chris: Yeah, like, legitimately. It is very fun to watch. You don't have to think, you can just be entertained and have a really good time. Or you can view the political points that we're making that are layered underneath. I think it balances both of those things really masterfully.
Christine: We've had enough of Netflix and you know, the pandemic, so it's time to get out and see some live shows!

That we have, Christine, and right you are.

So what are you waiting for? Snap up tickets as soon as you can for an unforgettable night of high skills, sexy, sex-positive and seductive acts, and inclusive and empowering performances and laugh-out-loud fun.

Blush plays Wednesday to Sunday at the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC until Sunday 12 February 2023.

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