Making Herstory

For ages now, the Spiegeltent has brought a phenomenal line-up of edgy, risque, classique and oh-la-la to the Arts Centre forecourt. But there's royalty of a few different kinds on show this year, as the divine Imogen Kelly releases her brand-spanking new burlesque show, Herstory, to the world.

Universally famous for her characterisations of ethereal, outrageous and historic women, as well as shows full of acrobatics, hilarity and visual splendour, Kelly provides premium showbiz product that tells cheeky twists on iconic tales.

Herstory is mainly new content, mixed with some old favourite acts. Playing characters like Marlene Dietrich, The Virgin Queen and Audrey Hepburn, Kelly asks, “If they could speak for themselves, or relive their lives, or tell their own story, then what would the changes be? Or it's about them reinventing themselves. Lady Diana survives the car crash, for example.”

As a driving theme, Kelly focuses on “the way they cope with adversity and judgement.” 

“Because all of them had situations that society focused on. They took the public's fascination, so it's really a dissection of their response, then parodying it or satirising it to make the point that they actually did manage really well. They were quite amazing women with uncanny strength to keep going.”

Kelly has an in-depth theoretical and practical training in burlesque and researches her shows thoroughly. But it's the extra spark in these women that grabs her. “I usually just have a fascination with a character. I started with about 20 and then just whittled them down to who suits burlesque, or who suits my style.

“The story of Jackie Kennedy is pretty much the story of her little pink Chanel suit more than it is about her and that day of the assassination, for example.”

Kelly has been performing in the Spiegeltent for over ten years, and thinks of it as a second home. But despite the travelling tent's popularity, people still don't seem to understand her craft in Australia, she says. Not the case in the US, where Kelly last year was named the World's Queen of Burlesque.

“I was judged by the women who created burlesque in the first place, as well as notables from the present. It just means that you're the bomb. It's quite massive for Australia because we don't sometimes realise what brilliant performers we have. But the rest of the world loves us.”

It seems that a surplus of under-done performers though, and a mystified public, have contributed to an under-appreciation of those artists putting together great stuff. “I just do what I do. I am a performance artist and I tell stories that are sensual and erotic and fun and sexy. It's great that there's a revival going on. But I think there is a lot of bad burlesque going on and it is letting the reputation of the art-form down.”

Audiences should do their own research, and look out for “personality, charm, and feminine warmth”, Kelly reckons. “A lot of people now focus on the costuming and that, but that's really just the icing on the cake. The cake itself should be pretty spectacular, or there's no point putting icing on it.”

A nice analogy considering her favourite muse, Marie Antoinette, was so sardonically intent on feeding her masses cake. Life becomes art, et cetera.