A CABARET SHOW THAT GOES FOR BAROQUE

Mae West, the sage and sybarite from Brooklyn, used to say, “Let joy be unrefined,” a point of view that also suits Austin McCormick, artistic director and choreographer of Company XIV. His latest extravaganza Rococo Rouge retools the roisterous risk-taking revelry he’s known for: bare skin, sultry ballet, baroque flourishes, burlesque, and gender-bending. Our first experience with Company XIV was last year’s Nutcracker Rouge, a bawdy reimagining of the Nutcracker ballet, many elements of which we found to be problematic. It’s happy reporting that the same isn’t true for their new spectacle; unburdened by things like story and dramatic arcs, the current production dazzles as modern burlesque, straightforward in its structure—one number follows another—and splendid in its execution. Creating a steamy vibe right from the start, Rococo Rouge conjures the aspects of human sensuality, from traditionally romantic to aggressively transgressive, with stops in between for addictive, playful, or regretful. Taking a cue from the disparate acts of vaudeville, McCormick includes grand opera, Beyonce’s disco pop, a tarantella, Edith Piaf classics, aerial acts, choreographed routines, and suggestive sex.