{"id":137445,"date":"2021-04-30T17:42:11","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T07:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=137445"},"modified":"2021-05-01T07:05:34","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T21:05:34","slug":"matador-her-majestys-theatre-theatre-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/matador-her-majestys-theatre-theatre-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Matador (Her Majesty&#8217;s Theatre) &#8211; theatre review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A fusion of dance, burlesque and circus, Matador sizzles and bedazzles.\u00a0The show is characterised by pulsating, ear-pleasing beats, brilliantly choreographed, fast paced routines, superb athletic and acrobatic prowess, a phenomenal array of sensual costuming and outstanding, colourful lighting design.\u00a0Written, directed and produced by Bass G Fam, Bass used his own life experiences as inspiration for his creative endeavours in the 100-minute production (excluding a 20-minute interval).<\/p>\n<p>Thematically, Matador is about the bonds that bind, about love, acceptance and friendship.\u00a0With that comes an exploration of darkness and intensity \u2013 jealousy and rage, unrequited love and infidelity \u2013 as well as light.\u00a0Passion is a constant.\u00a0The production is unashamedly erotic and swings in two directions \u2013 straight and gay.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_137447\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-137447\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-137447 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_ed02iot0-2.jpg?resize=560%2C373&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_ed02iot0-2.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_ed02iot0-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_ed02iot0-2.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-137447\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photos by Ben Vella<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The slick and sassy vignettes are accompanied by popular tunes, not all in English.\u00a0Among those featured are I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston, Into You from Ariana Grande, Justice League\u2019s Everybody Knows and many others. There are Spanish covers of Shallow (the mega hit for Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper), Dua Lipa\u2019s Physical and Ed Sheeran\u2019s Perfect.\u00a0In addition, Michael Lira has composed original material just for Matador, including a stirring violin number near the end of the performance.<\/p>\n<p>The vibe on opening night was electric as we were encouraged to clap, cheer and make noise &#8230; to express our appreciation for what was on offer. Suffice to say, we did so with reckless abandon.\u00a0The 14 performers are supremely polished as they hook up, break up and dance up a storm. Gee, they\u2019re good!\u00a0Skill, strength and stamina are enduring bedfellows.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-137452 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_jqbg43kq.jpg?resize=560%2C373&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_jqbg43kq.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_jqbg43kq.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_jqbg43kq.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Matador (Pip Keltie) and the Bull (Christopher Politis) are the centre of attention. They attract and repel. Defeat is on the cards, as is redemption.\u00a0The combinations and permutations of the talent appears endless \u2013 from solo numbers to couples and the full retinue, Bass mixes it up to keep things fresh and vibrant. After a video introduction, there\u2019s no let up from start to finish.<\/p>\n<p>It appears that with each new act there is a costume change \u2013 striking, skimpy, cheeky, glittering, elegant and flowing. You name it and this show has it.\u00a0And that is not to overlook those long, long \u201clook at me\u201d black boots with stiletto heels that simply yell out \u201cwow!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-137449 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_tejbuycc.jpg?resize=560%2C373&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_tejbuycc.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_tejbuycc.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_tejbuycc.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/>In summary then, Matador is exhilarating. It thrills. It makes you feel alive and puts you in a great mood. What more can you ask of a crackling piece of fiery entertainment?\u00a0It is playing at Her Majesty\u2019s Theatre until 2nd May, 2021 as part of the Midsumma Festival.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alex First<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A fusion of dance, burlesque and circus, Matador sizzles and bedazzles.\u00a0The show is characterised by pulsating, ear-pleasing beats, brilliantly choreographed, fast paced routines, superb athletic and acrobatic prowess, a phenomenal array of sensual costuming and outstanding, colourful lighting design.\u00a0Written, directed and produced by Bass G Fam, Bass used his own life experiences as inspiration for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":137446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[801],"tags":[614,29,177,6486],"class_list":["post-137445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre","tag-burlesque","tag-circus","tag-dance","tag-matador"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Matador (Her Majesty&#039;s Theatre) - theatre review -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/matador-her-majestys-theatre-theatre-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Matador (Her Majesty&#039;s Theatre) - theatre review -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A fusion of dance, burlesque and circus, Matador sizzles and bedazzles.\u00a0The show is characterised by pulsating, ear-pleasing beats, brilliantly choreographed, fast paced routines, superb athletic and acrobatic prowess, a phenomenal array of sensual costuming and outstanding, colourful lighting design.\u00a0Written, directed and produced by Bass G Fam, Bass used his own life experiences as inspiration for...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/matador-her-majestys-theatre-theatre-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-30T07:42:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-04-30T21:05:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_mbmto8-_.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alex First\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alex First\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/matador-her-majestys-theatre-theatre-review\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/matador-her-majestys-theatre-theatre-review\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alex First\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/485a03a567664eed5233363f88ed35a4\"},\"headline\":\"Matador (Her Majesty&#8217;s Theatre) &#8211; 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Who knew that was a thing in this town? The perfect venue for a creep show where things go bump in the night. It is about broken love and apparitions. 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