A Bob Fosse-style, vaudeville lament on love in the time of Tinder, The Butterfly Club presents Cell, Block Tango: Showtunes on Modern Dating is a cabaret about the perils and pitfalls of app ‘romance’ for a limited season from 16 January 2018.
Featuring Lelda Kapsis, Andrew Iles and Louise Baxter, original monologues weave around sassy showtunes from Sweet Charity, Cabaret, Gypsy and Chicago, exploring the all-rules-but-no-rules enigma of contemporary courting and what happens to the poor ‘shmucks’ trying to navigate it.
Witness the dating world’s transition from the meat market to the stock market; hear stories from survivors of “benching”, the Friendzone, and an unsolicited dick-pic blitz, and tales of woe from a hope-less romantic swiping for something real.
Writer and producer Louise Baxter says the absurdity and detachment of the current dating scene is a gift to satire. “When you really think about it, the concept of app dating is ridiculous,” she said. “A bunch of humans staring at a flat object – like the ape clutching a bone at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey – hoping to find a mate.”
“It’s primitive behaviour for an evolved species and has dredged up some pretty anti-social behaviour as a result. It’s the blind leading the blind, none of us really know what we’re doing. I wanted to juxtapose this with the sensual theatricality of cabaret, vaudeville and Broadway – one, because the contrast is pretty hilarious, and two, because it brings some passion and life to this sterile breed of romance.
“This isn’t a serious show though – it’s full of fun and snark and sexy times, with a cast that have earned their stripes on the frontline. But hopefully it’ll portray some depth that audiences resonate with, too. Bring a date to the show – it’ll be one hell of an icebreaker!”
Cell, Block Tango: Showtunes on Modern Dating
The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: 16 – 21 January 2018
Information and Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com