Alia Marshall
After a successful run in the Fringe Festival a few months ago, comedian and award-winning burlesque performer Lily Catastrophe is bringing back her hit variety show Bottom Surgery, which promises to reveal everything we wish to know about The Surgery. Bottom Surgery - a really funny show reminder to have in my calendar - is a mixture of burlesque, stand up comedy, spoken word, and even a little bit of clowning. I was gutted to miss it during Fringe, so I feel super lucky to have the chance to see it this time round and yap about it.
Some disclaimers and some preliminary info before I get into it. I want to clarify that I am not trans, which I think is important to note as I’m reviewing a show about transgender bodies and experiences with healthcare. Though I know and love many trans and gender non-conforming people and I have had the chance to learn a lot about their experiences, I am by no means an expert. Also, in case you’re unaware, bottom surgery refers to a type of gender affirming surgery that some trans people get to change their “downstairs” anatomy to better fit with their gender identity, and top surgery refers to the same thing but with the “upstairs” anatomy, you get it. Those who choose to get bottom surgery are forced to choose between waiting to get on a waitlist to have the procedure here in Aotearoa, or to go to a country with more surgeons who specialise in that type of care (both options cost a LOT of money). It is such an important aspect of gender affirming care, but we have very few surgeons in Aotearoa who specialise in that kind of thing, so Lily Catastrophe, like many trans people in Aotearoa, travelled to Thailand to get the surgery.
Anyway, disclaimer/mini lesson over, back to the review. Prior to the show my friend and I treated ourselves to a steaming bowl of ramen and dumplings, so it’s safe to say we are in a great mood as we walk into The Studio at BATS. Everyone else seems to be as well, which is surprising for a 9pm show on a Tuesday. We file into the space and I assume my natural position at the front. I like to be in the splash zone (as Catastrophe called it) because 1: it really sucks as a performer when the front row is empty and 2: I like being involved in the show, connecting with a performer is my favourite thing about live performance.
She asks who has never been to a burlesque show before and I sheepishly raise my hand, but she’s really nice about it and promises us newbies that we’re in for a good time. She establishes the audience performer relationship early on, encouraging us to hoot and holler when she’s doing something a little spicy, making the great point that taking your clothes off really sucks when the audience is silent. It would be hard to stay silent as she prances around in her opulent corsets and lingerie, she is a gorgeous performer both technically and energetically. She should really consider changing her name from Lily Catastrophe to Lily Ca-Captivating (or maybe just Lily Captivating, I never said I was funny).
The performance itself is a series of burlesque numbers which are split up by moments of stand up comedy and spoken word storytelling centered around her experience with The Surgery, with blackouts and some voice overs to help with the transitions. This makes sense as Catastrophe has a lot of costume changes to get through, and in the first blackout a voice over plays reminiscent of an early 2000’s infomercial or gameshow host. However I think there may have been some levelling issues as we did not hear them super clearly. I have to be transparent, I am not a big fan of a blackout (I feel like Michelle Visage with her vendetta against corsets and panties), so I think there is room to add more to these through the use of voice overs from different voices/characters to give them some more variety and to keep the energy up when the stage is empty.
We are informed from the beginning that this is not meant to be a theatre show, but I really want to encourage the team to consider developing it into one. This is a fabulous performance, one that I think many people should see, and the only thing that is missing for me is a more clarified dramatic structure. There are some beautiful vulnerable moments where Catastrophe really delves into her experiences before and after the surgery that I think would be even more effective if there were some elements of theatre in the writing and performance. Combining some of the burlesque with the spoken word (difficult, I know) or re-working the voice overs to tell a more cohesive story would be some suggestions from me to strengthen the storytelling, however I know that as a theatre maker I am a little biased when it comes to the theatrical form. I want to reiterate that I still think the show is really good, I am just so curious to see what it would look like if the comedy/burlesque/spoken word all happened at the same time (I’m thinking of shows like Gag Reflex or An Evening Without Kate Bush).
At the very end, Catastrophe delivers an impromptu and impassioned speech about the state of affairs for the trans community. To be blunt, it is fucking terrifying to be trans and queer right now. We all have a responsibility to learn more about our trans whānau so we know how to fight for them effectively. As our government tries to capitalise on American culture war issues, it is imperative that we support and encourage art by, for, and about trans and gender non-conforming people. I am so glad that we have a number of queer and trans people represented in this year’s comedy fest, and we should all make a concerted effort to support their mahi.
Bottom Surgery is a celebration of trans experience, and a lament at the state of our healthcare system. I would encourage anyone and everyone to go to this show, I can guarantee you’ll laugh, you’ll leer (respectfully), and you’ll definitely learn something new.
Bottom Surgery is on at BATS in The Studio until Saturday 17th May.
Anyway, disclaimer/mini lesson over, back to the review. Prior to the show my friend and I treated ourselves to a steaming bowl of ramen and dumplings, so it’s safe to say we are in a great mood as we walk into The Studio at BATS. Everyone else seems to be as well, which is surprising for a 9pm show on a Tuesday. We file into the space and I assume my natural position at the front. I like to be in the splash zone (as Catastrophe called it) because 1: it really sucks as a performer when the front row is empty and 2: I like being involved in the show, connecting with a performer is my favourite thing about live performance.
She asks who has never been to a burlesque show before and I sheepishly raise my hand, but she’s really nice about it and promises us newbies that we’re in for a good time. She establishes the audience performer relationship early on, encouraging us to hoot and holler when she’s doing something a little spicy, making the great point that taking your clothes off really sucks when the audience is silent. It would be hard to stay silent as she prances around in her opulent corsets and lingerie, she is a gorgeous performer both technically and energetically. She should really consider changing her name from Lily Catastrophe to Lily Ca-Captivating (or maybe just Lily Captivating, I never said I was funny).
The performance itself is a series of burlesque numbers which are split up by moments of stand up comedy and spoken word storytelling centered around her experience with The Surgery, with blackouts and some voice overs to help with the transitions. This makes sense as Catastrophe has a lot of costume changes to get through, and in the first blackout a voice over plays reminiscent of an early 2000’s infomercial or gameshow host. However I think there may have been some levelling issues as we did not hear them super clearly. I have to be transparent, I am not a big fan of a blackout (I feel like Michelle Visage with her vendetta against corsets and panties), so I think there is room to add more to these through the use of voice overs from different voices/characters to give them some more variety and to keep the energy up when the stage is empty.
We are informed from the beginning that this is not meant to be a theatre show, but I really want to encourage the team to consider developing it into one. This is a fabulous performance, one that I think many people should see, and the only thing that is missing for me is a more clarified dramatic structure. There are some beautiful vulnerable moments where Catastrophe really delves into her experiences before and after the surgery that I think would be even more effective if there were some elements of theatre in the writing and performance. Combining some of the burlesque with the spoken word (difficult, I know) or re-working the voice overs to tell a more cohesive story would be some suggestions from me to strengthen the storytelling, however I know that as a theatre maker I am a little biased when it comes to the theatrical form. I want to reiterate that I still think the show is really good, I am just so curious to see what it would look like if the comedy/burlesque/spoken word all happened at the same time (I’m thinking of shows like Gag Reflex or An Evening Without Kate Bush).
At the very end, Catastrophe delivers an impromptu and impassioned speech about the state of affairs for the trans community. To be blunt, it is fucking terrifying to be trans and queer right now. We all have a responsibility to learn more about our trans whānau so we know how to fight for them effectively. As our government tries to capitalise on American culture war issues, it is imperative that we support and encourage art by, for, and about trans and gender non-conforming people. I am so glad that we have a number of queer and trans people represented in this year’s comedy fest, and we should all make a concerted effort to support their mahi.
Bottom Surgery is a celebration of trans experience, and a lament at the state of our healthcare system. I would encourage anyone and everyone to go to this show, I can guarantee you’ll laugh, you’ll leer (respectfully), and you’ll definitely learn something new.
Bottom Surgery is on at BATS in The Studio until Saturday 17th May.