Aurora Galore bursts out in a burlesque pinkplosion, consciously unpolished and faintly deranged. A costume change on stage sets the tone: we are misfits doing this our way.
Aurora tells how she sought out artists who see beauty and pain in the world where others may not. She suggests a family bonded by a sensitive response to life’s harshness.
The show is a rickety machine made of unmatching parts, ever threatening to derail, but somehow it works.
Neo-burlesque, drag, contortion, suspended acrobatics, song, dance, fire-eating and other side-show dangers combine in a weird, almost Gothic Punk mindscape.
Highlights include dissonant double acts of dance and drag, drag and burlesque, song and acrobatics.
Tattoo lovers will have plenty to enjoy, and the skin show is shared by all genders to embrace vulnerability and just plain sexy.
The segues are clunky, the props do not always comply, cues appear occasionally optional, but it’s cool.
The message of acceptance is strong and threaded throughout, and the audience is forgiving of flaws and rapturous of successes.
In the tradition of Cohen’s Beautiful Losers and Keasey’s Merry Pranksters, Aurora Galore’s Glamorous Weirdos are outsiders, rule breakers, fringe dwellers.
There is fun, sass and spectacle.
There is also tension, inner turmoil and darkness as they tackle themes of betrayal, self-harm and violence.
Some may find parts of the show triggering, but take heart knowing they are among friends and empaths. Aurora Galore and the Glamorous Weirdos is a body-positive, sex-positive, weirdo-positive joy to behold.