Bitch on Heat @ Le Cascadeur at The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide 22/02/2019

Every year at the Fringe there’s always a show that I go see where I only know of the title and not mush else. I like it that way as you walk into a show with no expectations. This year that show was Bitch on Heat by the talented Australian performance and alt-cabaret artist Leah Shelton.

Starting with the Pandora’s Box concept and Shelton clad in a tight latex costume with exaggerated plastic looking pink lips it’s clear that this show has a deep and complex message. In the era of #metoo and the sexualisation of women as well as the long held misogynistic views of some men towards women this show takes you on a long slippery slide into the real world we continue to live in. You question if anything has really changed since the last century and if it ever will in the near future.

Shelton plays all the characters transitioning to each one smoothly without disturbing the flow of the scenes. There are some dark scenes that are quite provoking but it works and the perturbed reaction from the audience is justified. Her performance is passionate and fierce.

Bitch on Heat is a show with many the elements; nudity, sex, music and a splash of acrobatics While there isn’t much of a spoken word dialogue the show is communicated through lip syncing and voice-overs which helps give it a dark and intense narrative. While it may not be a show for everyone it certainly is a show to see.

Fringe Review By Anastasia Lambis

For tickets, show dates and times to Bitch On Heat head to Fringe-Tix