License to Thrill
Nineteen Ten, Adelaide
Thursday, March 2 2023
West Australian troupe, Skye High Burlesque, come to Adelaide for the first time, bringing their Bond tribute, 007 Licence To Thrill. The venue, a glamourous rooftop cocktail bar, easy enough to imagine Daniel Craig enjoying a martini, rappelling down the building, his tuxedo immaculate throughout.
Leaning into the Brosnan years, a reverse striptease by local talent Ambrosious Lee, to Tina Turner’s Goldeneye. She gives an ordinary cotton sheet more character and movement than all of Ken Doll Bond’s hairstyles through his entire four films, seven years, tsunami surfing, and terminal velocity.
Another of Adelaide’s finest, and firm crowd favourite, Santosha Storm electrifies with their interpretation of Madonna’s Die Another Day. Leather jacket, corset, choker, and braids the size of Maryland – all sass, all attitude, all power. And almost as if the chair is performing a Santosha routine, rather than the in-reality reverse.
Our closer, sideshow icon Sian Brigid, absolutely brings the house down, channelling Quantum of Solace’s 2008 banger, Another Way to Die. Lithe and balletic, yet at the same time visceral, grinding her face into the floor, before setting herself on fire, to the utter delight of the crowd.
As MC Camden Champagne summed up perfectly, Sian had fire in her mouth, fire in her hands, bringing fire to our loins.
The talent displayed this evening is literally overflowing. The passion the cast bring to the show is clearly visible, with guest performers well curated, fitting in seamlessly. Camden displays a knowledge of the franchise so encyclopaedic, they’re almost a Bond Girl themselves. A fabulous evening.
With additional singing, acrobatics, and sideshow, Licence is more variety than straight burlesque. With twenty-five movies as canon, let alone the knockoffs and parodies, playing either Cold War dinosaur straight or updating firmly into the present, there are endless possibilities for this show into the future.