Crazy Horse Paris: Forever Crazy

crazy horse parisIt has been tantalising Paris for more than 65 years and now for the first time, Crazy Horse Paris has headed to Australia to seduce audiences with its sensual glamour and sophisticated femininity in Forever Crazy.

Forever Crazy was conceived in 1951 in tribute to the founder of Crazy Horse Paris, Alain Bernardin. An avant-garde artist himself, Bernardin was a passionate admirer of women and the female form – whose shows were developed and presented to exacting standards with a unique and recognisable artistic signature.

Far from being tawdry and dated, Forever Crazy is overtly sophisticated and visually electric, featuring some of the best acts from its rich artistic legacy. The show begins, as it has for the past 28 years, with God Save Our Bareskin. 12 identically dressed women, in nothing more than black high boots and bearskin hats, pay homage to the British tradition of Changing of the Guard.

For just on 2 hours the audience is treated to a cavalcade of stylised tableaux that were inventive and playfully referential, featuring some astonishing costume creations by world-renowned fashion designers. Full of mystique, we never learn the ‘Crazy Girls’ real names – instead Loulou De Paris, Lila Magnetic, Mina Velours, Candy Saint-Louis, just to name a few – all classically trained, representing “the French elite of beauty and seduction”.

Each act is presented as a stand alone narrative with titles such as Upside Down, Legmania, Glamazones, But… I am a Good Girl and Striptease-Moi – where a dancer interacts with red velvet couch designed by Salvador Dali in the shape of Mae West’s lips. The group routines, Baby Buns and You Turn Me On, the obvious crowd pleasers.

An eclectic soundtrack draws on a variety of musical styles from Euro-pop to jungle, through to Antony and the Johnsons, with a little bit of Britney Spears thrown into the mix. Robert Muraine (aka Mr Fantastic) punctuates the proceedings with a contortion act that has to be seen to be believed!

Forever Crazy
The Palms at Crown Melbourne, Whiteman Street, Southbank
Performance: Wednesday 9 August 2017 – 8.00pm
Season continues to 20 August 2017
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au

Crown Theatre, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood (Perth)
Season: 6 – 17 September 2017
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au

State Theatre, 49 Market Street, Sydney
Season: 27 September – 1 October 2017
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au

Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, Canberra
Season: 4 – 7 October 2017
Bookings: www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au

For more information, visit: www.crazyhorseparis.com.au for details.

Image: Forever Crazy, Upside Down Legs – photo by Antoine Poupel

Review: Rohan Shearn