A sparkly, smart-arsed spoof of the so-bad-it’s-good cinematic masterpiece Showgirls, Griffin Theatre Company presents Blaque Showgirls by Nakkiah Lui at the SBW Stables Theatre this September.
A lonely kid in rural Australia, fair-skinned Sarah Jane Jones is deathly sure of two things: 1. She’s the best dancer in the whole town of Chithole, and 2. She’s a proud Aboriginal woman. There’s very little proof of either of these things.
So, when a long-lost photograph offers hope of her Indigenous ancestry, Sarah Jane hightails it to the glitziest casino in Brisvegas. Her mission? To land a role in the First Nations burlesque spectacular: Blaque Showgirls … by any means necessary.
After a cancelled season at Griffin last year, Blaque Showgirls returns larger than life with Nakkiah Lui (Black is the New White, Black Comedy) delivering her trademark mix of wit, social commentary, and balls-to-the-wall silliness with a through line of Indigenous pride.
The luminous Stephanie Somerville (Chalkface) fan kicks her way to the front of the chorus-line! Co-Directors Shari Sebbens (Superheroes, City of Gold) and Ursula Yovich (Diving for Pearls, Barbara and the Camp Dogs) jam-pack a long-awaited, pint-sized rhinestoned arena spectacular into the SBW Stables Theatre in 2023.
Griffin Artistic Director, Declan Greene expresses his excitement for the show, reporting that it is absolutely “far too big for the space,” he said. “It’ll be exciting and overwhelming and overstimulating to see…”
“It’s a spectacular First Nations casino burlesque drag show with high kicks happening inches from your face. There’s a level of engagement to that kind of spectacle you don’t get in bigger spaces,” said Greene.
“[Nakkiah Lui] pivots improbably smoothly from outrageous hilarity to heartrending pain and injustice in a kind of one-two move that hits you in the gut.” – Limelight Magazine (for Nakkiah Lui and Blackie Blackie Brown)
Co-Directors: Shari Sebbens, Ursula Yovich | Featuring: Mathew Cooper, Jonathan Jeffrey, Matty Mills, Angeline Penrith, Stephanie Somerville | Set & Costume Designer: Cris Baldwin | Choreographer: Sani Townsend | Sound Designer & Composer: Jessica Dunn | Lighting Designer: Verity Hampson | Intimacy Coordinator: Chloe Dallimore | Voice & Accent Coach: Nick Curnow | Stage Manager: Isabella Kerdijk | Community Engagement Lead: Neville Williams Boney
Blaque Showgirls
SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross
Season: 8 September – 14 October 2023 (previews: 4 – 7 September)
Information and Bookings: www.griffintheatre.com.au
Image: Stephanie Somerville stars in Blaque Showgirls – courtesy of Griffin Theatre Company