Coterie Cabaret
Coterie is a hilarious, steamy, and athletic celebration of sex, kink, and fetish. Part nightclub, part jazz club, part circus - I was lucky enough to be part of the “coterie” who got to see the sold out show at The Warehouse in the Valley.
It is loosely based on Greek mythology. Our host is the goddess Venus, played by the charismatic, talented Emily Stockwell (who is also a Creative Director of the show). Venus has been banished to Brisbane from Mount Olympus by her husband Vulcan. Why? She slept with his brother, Mars. But she has an excuse: Mars is better in bed than Vulcan. Love. That. For. Her. Now she’s on a quest to prove that, as the goddess of sex, love, beauty and fertility, she’s done a lot for humankind and should be allowed back; And so she sets out to celebrate all the fetish, kink, and vaginas, with a cast of phenomenal performers through cabaret, burlesque, cirque, comedy, drag, and dance - after getting our consent, of course.
I can’t get over how great the physical performances of this cast are. (Spoiler alert!) From routines involving Shibari (Japanese rope bondage), to roller skating animals wearing strapons, to graceful contemporary dance, this show grabs you and doesn’t let go… unless you say the safe word, I suppose.
Image: Dominic Thwaite
The audience went crazy for the highly energetic routines (as always) of drag queen Luna Thicc. Luna has that X Factor - even when she’s not front and centre she’s always doing something entertaining.
The show is cheeky without being immature. Sexual acts and fetishes are truly celebrated, rather than used for a cheap joke. You may find this one a bit challenging if you’re adverse to exploration, liberation, diversity, and... packets of condoms being thrown into the audience. And honestly, if that’s you, I dare you to go. The audience there was of all adult ages.
The design elements of the show are simple, but a whole vibe: A bed frame made out of construction scaffolding with platinum sheets fit for a goddess, and costume changes galore! It’s all set in front of The Warehouse’s massive digital screen, which is put to good use by visual designers Anna Johnston and Jarrod Waerea. Sometimes it was a cartoony background set behind promiscuous acts - a hilarious juxtaposition. Other times the visuals were glitchy, adding a layer of chaos during transitions that beckoned “just let go”.
The front of house team normally don’t get a mention, but I feel they should here. I believe they were mostly creatives working on the show. They wore sexy leather lingerie, and during intermission they could be seen partying in the audience banks with some of the audience joining in. It seemed as though every person working on this show was absolutely loving every minute of it.
Bravo to Creative Directors Anna Johnston and Emily Stockwell, and the rest of the cast and creatives of Coterie for pulling out all the stops and giving Brisbane a great night out. I don’t know if it’s public yet, but word is that Coterie is coming back later this year. Do yourself a favour - go support this talented bunch of performers who have something to say!
Image: Dino Renda
