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Dangerous Goods

 
Ross Anthony Review by Ross Anthony 3 Published: 20 Aug 2025 Assembly George Square Gardens Show Dates: 30 Jul 2025-24 Aug 2025

Dangerous Goods is intersectional feminist cabaret which wears its heart on its sleeve from the start. The central conceit is that we are in a dangerous workplace and toxic chemicals are afoot. Unfortunately, the acts that follow stray wildly from this theme, so the show feels a little disjointed. The real connective tissue becomes a strong feminist message, which plays well with the crowd.

Leah Shelton's burlesque act is one of the best I've seen

God, I want to love this cabaret. It is exactly the sort of in-your-face bold feminist messaging that I adore. The routines at times feel a little underwhelming, as though the performers believe they are breaking dangerous ground when they are not quite doing so. I kept waiting to be wowed. Then we’d reach a moment where it seemed to be building, only for it to peter out. The line-up had everything you’d expect in good cabaret – fire, aerial, cyr wheel, powerful vocals, provocative humour – and I loved Hot Brown Honey. It just feels like a show that almost got there but didn’t quite, especially given a few flawed executions and missed opportunities.

That said, the cast do occasionally deliver. Leah Shelton’s burlesque act is one of the best I’ve seen in the last year and deserves exceptionally high praise. I was a little frustrated that the show didn’t trust the audience to understand the latex-clad performer was a sex doll, so they emblazoned it on her back. This perhaps sums up the whole issue with Dangerous Goods: there is a lot of telling and not always enough showing. That minor gripe aside, Shelton’s act was powerful, well conceived, expertly choreographed, and exactly the kind of out-there burlesque I’d like to see more of.

I did enjoy myself. This is a good show and some of the acts were standout – Bridie Hooper’s straps and hand balancing were powerful and evocative, for instance. I just feel that if you’re going to call yourself rebellious, claim you’re going to shift paradigms and blow minds, then you ought to do that. Dangerous Goods is good cabaret that could be great cabaret, with a gorgeous message. It just needs some polish.

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The Blurb:

Dangerous Goods is an unapologetic and hot-as-hell cabaret of provocative performances, jaw-dropping physical feats and powerful acts of rebellion. Featuring a world-class line-up of circus, aerials, drag, burlesque and power vocals (including artists from the award-winning smash-hit Hot Brown Honey), performance renegades Polytoxic bring you an unforgettable evening of high-octane entertainment that is fully loaded and flammable AF. This is cabaret for the brave new world, ready to blow minds and shift paradigms. 'A tour de force of feminist cabaret (StageWhispers.com.au). 'Raunchy and hilarious... phenomenal!' (WeekendNotes.com).