By Tanya Steele
A line up of talented mothers recently dazzled and delighted locals in Belgrave, with literal sparks flying by the end of the show.
‘End of the Line’ delivered thrills and laughs to a packed crowd at Sooki Lounge on Sunday 12 May, for people in search of something beyond the traditional Mother’s Day brunch.
The cabaret, circus and more themed show ‘End of the Line’ celebrated a variety of performers, with sequins, contortions, comedy and more.
Some audience came to the show having no idea what to expect and Upwey local and show producer Kat Renehan (also known as Katy Kapow) said that cabaret is a real gateway to live theatre.
“It’s so fun and silly, you can be anyone to be able to come in and enjoy a cabaret show,” she said.
The event was led by performer Miss Fribby as MC, who is one of Melbourne’s leading avante show makers and boutique entertainment providers.
Dressed in an array of glorious sequinned outfits to die for, with several costume changes of course, Miss Fibby introduced the performers one by one, keeping the crowd on their toes.
All the performers were mothers and a number were local to the area, with even a pole-dancing grandmother who dazzled with a high-octane routine.
Ms Renehand said the idea came about for the show because she knows a lot of fantastic mothers that are also performers but she hadn’t yet seen them perform together as a group.
“A lot of our performers are of different ages and different bodies,” she said.
Throughout two acts the crowd saw burlesque, barre, sword swallowing and more with Mr Renehan herself performing a contortionist routine involving tennis racquets.
No performance was the same and the artists each brought their own brand and personality into their routines.
“It was also important to me not to just putting keep one kind of person on stage – it’s vital to challenge that,” Ms Renhan said.
Ms Renehan has now put on three ‘End of the Line” variety shows and originally began putting them together to bring opportunities for burlesque and circus performers to the outer east.
“As a performer, I was just tired of everything being in the city and wanted to bring burlesque and circus out here,” she said.
“We have such a great creative community in the hills, I think there is a real demand.”
Ms Renehan hopes to continue bringing her shows to the Yarra Ranges and celebrating her performers and their skills.
“It’s an incredible cast and it’s something I want to keep putting out there,” she said.
