Velvet Vice & Vaudeville
Set in a smoky Prohibition-era speakeasy, The Velvet Curtain Co.’s new production dives into a world of hidden bars, dangerous glamour and women who bend the rules to breaking point. Ahead of the show’s arrival in Coffs Harbour, we spoke with the creative team about rebellious heroines, musical mayhem and why they love walking the tightrope between elegance and chaos.
What: Secrets, Lies & Alibis
Where: Coffs Harbour Conservatorium
When: 22 + 23 Aug
Q: The Velvet Curtain Co. calls itself a place where musical fantasies are allowed to get “slightly out of hand.” In this production, where does that bold, playful spirit come to life on stage?
A: A great example is Shake That Thing. It starts as a cheeky traditional New Orleans jazz number, then we add big voices, defiant sequins, a live band, harmonies, movement and a fair bit of nerve until it grows into something much bigger. Pretty soon, we are all shakin’ that thing.
That is the spirit of The Velvet Curtain Co. We choose music that asks us to be brave, take up space and not play it safe. We love strong voices, bold arrangements and moments that feel as though they could tip into chaos at any second.
The aim is not to make everything neat and tasteful. It is to make it exciting, generous and full of life, with the audience right in the middle.
Q: The show moves from Deep South speakeasies to Sydney’s underworld alleys. How did you blend those different places, eras and musical styles into one experience?
A: One of the things we love is placing pieces together that may not seem to belong in the same show. They come from different eras, locations and musical traditions, but the characters, emotions and ideas beneath them create the connection.
We built the production as a song cycle rather than simply placing one number after another. Each piece opens a door into the next part of the journey.
We move from Sydney’s infamous madams and sly-grog operators to the ancient Greek underworld, then into the fiery territory of operatic figures. These characters come from very different traditions, but they share the same appetite, power, temptation, rebellion, survival and consequence.
Those common threads let us travel across continents, decades and musical styles while keeping the whole experience glamorous,
Q: Your new show dives into a Prohibition-era speakeasy of “rebels, romantics and rule-breakers.” What drew you to that world, and how did it shape the stories and songs in the show?
A: Prohibition is such a fascinating time because trying to stop people from drinking, dancing and having fun did not make any of it disappear. It simply pushed it underground. Once we began imagining what it might have felt like to walk into a speakeasy, we discovered a remarkable cast of colourful characters.
We were especially drawn to the women who found power there. Through legal loopholes, clever thinking and sheer nerve, they became madams, sly-grog operators, performers, gamblers and survivors. They created their own opportunities in a society determined to tell them how to behave.
That was far too tempting to ignore. It gave us the heart of the show: a hidden realm of glamour, danger, desire and people who refused to follow the rules.
What Secrets, Lies & Alibis Where Coffs Harbour Conservatorium When 22 + 23 Aug Tix via Humanitix or www.velvetcurtaincompany.com
