Review-Taboo-City of Dreams
27-4-13
By: Harry Oram and Meaghan McGurgan
This weekend HKELD was invited to see the re-run of Taboo. Taboo is a cabaret from the same team that brought us The House of Dancing Water. It's tag line is "a show of secret fantasies". Two critics attended, one male and one female. Since Taboo is all about the naughty and the sensual we thought it best to split the review from a male and a female perspective. Please enjoy!
The Bad Boy
From the Bad Boy's perspective, coming to see a show in Macau, I wanted to be "wow'ed". Taboo did not disappoint. From the outset, as the performers began to walk amongst the audience, I was "wow'ed" by their costumes (some of the best I have ever seen), their mischievous demeanour, and their sexuality.
The show continued at this pace. I was "wow'ed" by their incredible dancing, the incredible sets, the incredible lighting and the incredible concepts. The girls were stunning, all the performers were in fantastic physical condition and performed everything with a vigorous intensity that left me mesmerized. All the "specialist" performers were world-class: The singer. The pole dancer. The sword swallower. The burlesque dancer. The gymnast. All phenomenal. Every performer showed an incredible versatility in their performances and was not only stylistically but athletically impressive.
I can see how this is not a show for everyone. It is intense, has high-energy and audience members will barely have a moment to take a sip of their drinks. For a night out in Macau, that is what I would call entertainment.
Why then, during and after the show, did I feel somewhat unsatisfied? The show clearly had nothing lacking in terms of talent, style, set, design and concept but it still did not feel "5-Star". The costumes, though wonderfully erotic and provocative, are not 'cabaret shocking'. This show is supposed to be 'taboo' but nothing shocked me. The music choice was often raw and intense club music, following the theme of high-energy-entertainment but the actual song choices made no sense. There was only one singer, who despite being gifted, was often drowned in the background music. She came across as "filler" rather than the "main feature" she deserved to be.
The pieces and concepts were creative and visually stunning but made no sense overall. Though it is great to feel like you've fallen down a rabbit hole into a strange new world, it is even better to feel that you are being led somewhere. Some of the scenes such as the 'Venetian-orgy-feast' left me feeling confused rather than entertained.
My favourite was perhaps, the gymnast, but it is a close run thing. The burlesque dancer was stunning and the pole dancer was enchanting.
Overall, I had a fantastic time. I just wish it was longer especially for the price.
The Good Girl
This isn't my first time seeing Taboo. I saw it last year on a girls' weekend in Macau and made my opinions known on my old blog. Some of these opinions still reign true but some of the issues that were in the last year's production have improved. Audience members who complained about partial views of the stage will be pleased to know that a lot of the show has been restaged allowing for people who sit in the back of the house to receive a better view. Audience interraction is also more plentiful in Taboo 2.0. These changes from last year's show are well appreciated.
My main critique of the show last year seems to still be on point. The show appears as a variety show of dance numbers and acts rather than a full force cabaret. With such a fabulous title and theme this show cries out for an Emcee or a narrator's voice to help guide the audience through its illicit world of naughty delights. It would help us understand the intentions of the artists better and it would help the overall flow of the show.
The sword swallowing of Lucky Hell and Marina, the lythe pole dancer, make this show a must see. Their numbers are fantastic! The chorus' effort in the numbers is also well noted. Their ability to switch between the numbers seamlessly and interact with the audience in a fun way was a driving force in the show's success tonight.
Now, do I think that all the numbers were good representations of the taboo? Not really... I didn't really get some of them. I understood that they wanted to do an LGBT number but the poor musical choice of Let's Have a Kiki left me perplexed. There are far more taboo things in the gay community than kikis. Odd musical choices seemed to be a running idea; for example, the choice of Personal Jesus for the sauna scene left me with a giant question mark over my head (but I must point out that this scene was visually stunning despite the music).
I would recommend Taboo for a fun weekend out with your peers. It's perfect as bachelor or bachelorette night entertainment. It's fun and fluffy. It's a show to let your hair down and have a great time. It's also incredibly sparkly. This is a show where swarovski crystals come to die. The costume designer definitely went a little glitter happy but I'm inspired and impressed by the amount of craftsmanship that went into the costumes. This show looks expensive and has a high production value.
But this show is definitely a pricey investment with standing room tickets starting at 580MOP and the VIP tickets going up to 1180MOP. Might as well make it a weekend and do a hotel package as The City of Dreams has many options that give you the room and the tickets for 2 starting at 1600. It'll save you money in the long run and you can make it a fun night out with your pals. Share your secret fantasies below in the comment section...
Taboo is playing at The City of Dreams through June 30th. For more information, click here.
Comments
Leido
Great review!
27 April 2013Maryann
The show has changed a lot. Go review again!
09 November 201462Alfonso
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27 September 2017