Thursday Theatre Review: The Spiegel Show

"Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up! Burlesque showgirls, acrobats, aerialists, eccentric dancers, divine divas, and a whole host of specialty acts of the Nouveau Variete make up the fabulous Spiegel Show!"

So, the first thing you should know about The Spiegel Show is that it has been held over until July 1 due to popular demand, but is still selling out, so make sure you get tickets ahead of time, you might be disappointed trying to get them at the door. The show was part of the wonderful LuminaTO festival and continues as part of the New World Stage Festival.

The second thing is that the seating is tight, so get there early. The tent opens at 7pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and at 6pm on Sundays. If I were going to go again (which, I may just do) I would show up as soon as the doors opened, snag myself a seat, order one of the pitchers of sangria for $20, and a burger or a sandwich. The most expensive food item on the menu is $8 and the house band plays some great tunes to get you in the mood. So, skip going out for dinner, show up early and dine at the show. Be forewarned, there's limited veggie options, you're probably going to have spring rolls or fries if you don't eat meat, so you might want a snack ahead of time.

My show-partner for this one was John and he said the show was "perfect for what it was", he said it was fun and lively and had just enough variety to keep it going. He pointed out the frustration of poor sight-lines, but that could have been fixed by showing up early and getting a better table.

All the performers were great, and they rotate, so you may not see what I saw, but I'm betting it will still be good. John and I had the same favourite part. We both loved the "Literate Smut with George Elliot Clarke". We loved the way Clarke read his work, the way he was excited by the whoops of the audience, and the way the band spontaneously started playing to accompany his reading. It truly was a treat. I think that Clarke is not a regular fixture in the show, that the salon-type reading probably falls to a different author every night, but this certainly had John and me transfixed.

The bottom line is that the show is sexy and a lot of fun. I secretly (or, not so secretly) have my fingers crossed that it proves to be successful enough that Harbourfront decides to keep them as a fixture all summer, or perhaps as a regular ongoing fixture. This is the kind of thing I can picture myself going to over and over again, especially since the acts rotate, and because I couldn't get enough of the MC, who would, one assumes, remain constant. And maybe next time I'll stay for the dancing after the show!

Details:
- Runs until July 1 on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. 8pm show time every night expect Sunday which begins at 7pm.
- Plays in the Siegeltent'ntavern at Harbourfront Centre - 235 Queens Quay West
- Tickets $25
- Admittance restricted to those aged 19 and over