It's time to party like its 1929! The Gangsters' Ball is back again, with the same vibe plus a little something extra for you crazy
cats.
Graham Coupland, the
event's organiser (and front man for swing band, the Velvet Set) wanted less
burlesque and more vaudeville this year. "It's a different show," he
says. "We've gone for quintessential 20s and 30s entertainment,
all done by highly skilled performers."
The night presents an
opportunity to dress up as a racketeer, moll or a flapper and hit the town. "I want the show to become
an event, an opportunity to transform yourself for a night," says Coupland.
The MC for the Ball, the
devilish Madame Leila Montansano, wholeheartedly agrees. "The Gangsters' Ball is
about transporting you back in time to a smoky
world of dark characters."
The period-appropriate entertainment will include bands, performers, illusionists and cabaret acts. Cabaret acts will include Circus Trick Tease, Imogen Kelly, Lou-Lou and the
Lucky Charms. You'll be able to
lose yourself, and perhaps your wristwatch, as Julia Madotti performs sleight of hand, while the Velvet Swing Band will have you jivin' all night.
As the Madame of the
night, Leila Montansano hopes to see "the dapper outfits of the 50s, the
mythology of the gangsters and the magic of those hidden clubs."
Graham plans to meet
those demands. "The Lair in the Metro will be a smoky gaming room
called the Gambling Den," he reveals.
Reckon you've got that swing thing nailed? Prizes will be awarded to punters who set the floor alight
in a Swing and Rockabilly dance contest, so dust off those shoes and start your hips swaying.
Merchandise
stalls, themed décor and an old fashioned cocktail bar will complete the mood of a bygone era. Madame Leila thinks we
ain't seen nothing yet. "The way Graham puts so much into it, right down to the
Cigar Girls, Roulette and the Photo Booths, it's amazing." Thomas Mitchell
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