What do you get when you mix metal, misfits, and mastery of the tease? You get Haus of Coffin Burlesque’s second ever Revue, aptly titled ‘The Ritual’. Hosted for one night only at Adelaide’s Nexus Arts, this decadent descent into darkness is presented by none other than the Haus of Coffin Burlesque School: South Australia’s home of alternative and unconventional burlesque. Produced by the eternally glamorous Owner of The Haus Vivienne Von Coffin, The Ritual is a celebration of alt-burlesque in all its raw, rebellious glory; a love letter to the strange, the sexy, and the sublime, wrapped in the most unholy soundtrack this side of a haunted nightclub.
Guiding us through this devilishly delightful tour of the Haus is local emcee enchantress and “Master of the Haus”, Saskia. Equal parts high priestess and chaos goblin, Saskia weaves together an evening that is equal parts gothic ritual, glam rock opera and glitter-stained fever dream. What follows is an ambitious lineup of emerging talent, solo development students, sensational group acts, and polished featured guest artists all spinning tales of transformation and temptation.
To the ominous countdown of Rammstein’s Sonne, nine students (Kat Scratch Fever, Miss Abigail Fox, Zoe Lee, Polly Esther Pantomime, Sindy Sinn Moore, Violet Hellfire, Rosie Ritz, Ivory Elixr, and Samantha La Veuve) make a jaw-dropping entrance in floor-length hooded burgundy gowns and black face masks, reminiscent of a cult of ritual acolytes. As the haunting chords of the industrial German metal song reach its percussive peak, the troupe whips around with military precision, launching into fierce choreography building in tension until masks are ripped away and robes are cast off, revealing smouldering black and burgundy ensembles beneath. Silk fans are unfurled in unison and burst into fiery life, tie-dyed in ember tones, engulfing the stage in a blaze of synchronised movement. It’s a searing opener, and a testament to the students’ exceptional cohesion and fan technique. One by one, they vanish down the centre aisle, leaving the audience fully ignited. The tone of The Ritual is set: this isn’t your average burlesque recital.
Things get deliciously unhinged as guest performer Dorian Courtisan reanimates the room (literally), channeling cult horror icon Herbert West from Re-Animator in a gloriously grotesque strip set to Oingo Boingo’s Weird Science. Blacklight glows as Dorian brandishes a glowing green syringe, injecting life into a bloodied “corpse”: a glitter-covered mannequin who somehow feels like a character in and of itself. What follows is a gore-glam striptease that evolves into a seduction between scientist and corpse. Just as the act seems to hit its climax, the track melts into Celine Dion’s It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, and suddenly we’re watching a tragicomic love story unfold. With a boa shaped like bloody intestines, a sleek wig reveal, and just the right amount of camp, Dorian leaves the audience cackling in fits of laughter and slightly aroused all at the same time. It’s deliciously grotesque, hilariously camp, and strangely touching; horror, humour and heart all in one.
Emerging from the shadows like a dark phoenix, solo development student Chelsea Grin takes to the stage in a floor-length strapless black silk gown, adorned with a shimmering trail of silver rhinestones. Set to the visceral pulse of Crash & Burn by PhaseOne (ft. Northlane) and the ferocious energy of Holly Roller (feat. Ryo Kinoshita) by Spiritbox, her act marries gothic elegance with unrelenting intensity. She coyly peeks from behind a pair of deep burgundy ostrich feather fans, teasing the audience before revealing herself with a slow, deliberate flair, like Venus emerging from her clamshell. As the dubstep beat drops, she wields the fans with fierce precision, even arching into a graceful backbend with them high overhead. Chelsea then strides down the central aisle into the audience, unfastening her gown to reveal a chained, strapless two-piece set beneath. With a snarl of seduction, she removes her gloves; one with her teeth, the other with her feet as she suspends herself elegantly in a shoulder stand. Chelsea proves herself a dynamic performer with the poise of a pro and the edge of a metal goddess.
Channelling the dark power of vampire royalty, solo development student Severina Sin rises like a dark deity from the audience. To the haunting tones of Kidneythieves’ Before I’m Dead, she channels Queen Akasha from Queen of the Damned as she ascends the stage as if summoned. Dressed in a bra dripping with rhinestone faux blood droplets and a flowing black panel skirt, her look is unmistakably inspired by the Queen of the Damned herself. Severina peels her skirt open seductively before whipping it around her like a cape, transforming the stage into her gothic lair. As she casts it off, her sleeves unfurl and fall to her wrists, creating the illusion of a bat’s wings as she spins with haunting grace. As she writhes in vampiric ecstasy, she reveals a pair of red and silver tasseled rhinestone pasties, just before biting down on blood capsules and letting the crimson liquid trickle down her chin. Sin by name, sin by nature, Severina’s performance oozes pure theatrical vampirism, dripping in gothic grandeur.
Floating in from the shadows like a shooting star slipping across the night sky, Darling DeVille brings a touch of cosmic glamour to The Ritual with her solo development act, set to Planet Caravan by Pantera. With all the cool elegance of a classic showgirl, she moves like smoke, trailing a black tulle boa behind her as her silhouette catches the stage lights like a mirror ball in deep space. She strips off each glove with delicious precision before unzipping her glittering floor-length skirt, revealing a matching black and silver three-piece lingerie ensemble underneath. Her floorwork is old-school burlesque perfection: a sensual, smoky bump-and-grind performed atop her tulle boa, blending classic tease with astral mystique. Hiding behind the boa for her reveal, she unclasps her top to unveil striking teardrop-shaped black pasties, dripping in rhinestones. She exits through the audience like a walking constellation, leaving a trail of glitter and intrigue in her wake.
Swapping pasties for punchlines in an act where words and wit collide, Diana Divine brings the house down with nothing but a microphone, a notebook, and their razor-sharp wit. Seated centre stage in a dramatic Shakespearean ruff, flounce sleeve robe and lingerie ensemble, Diana treats the audience to a comedic spoken word monologue chronicling one of their earliest burlesque shows aboard a riverboat in Port Adelaide. Equal parts theatrical disaster and awkward family reunion (yes, their grandmother-in-law was front row at Diana’s 2018 show she references), the tumultous tale has the audience howling with laughter from start to finish. A form of burlesque by way of stand-up theatre, Diana’s delivery is as flamboyant as it is flawlessly timed, proving that a well-spun story can be just as titillating as a stocking peel. Delivering a masterclass in storytelling and stage presence, Diana reminds us that burlesque is also about vulnerability, humour, and the joy of not taking yourself too seriously.
Like celestial beings caught between realms, Haus of Coffin Burlesque students Starr Da Riot, Sabre De Light, Bebe Bubbles, Cheryl, Evie Eerie, Sienna Sykes, Claire Sombre, Georgia, and Rosie Ritz bring a dreamlike glow to the stage with their group performance to Lithium by Evanescence. Draped in sheer blue tulle robes, celestial tulle gloves, and crowned with delicate star-topped tiaras, some emerge from amongst the chairs, others drift sultrily across the stage, before claiming their thrones for a slow, sensual chair routine. With slow, fluid chair work and a perfectly synchronised unraveling of layers, they summon something sacred from within. The group choreography is polished and fluid, their synchronicity especially striking during the dual stocking peels and flowing transitions. A final flourish sees the performers raise their stockings like sacred relics, delivering the kind of dreamy, slow-burn group number that lingers.
Taking us to church then straight to hell, guest performer Sebastian Wolf cranks the sacrilege to 11 in a show-stopping number of sinful splendour. Opening with Nero’s Satisfy, Sebastian begins in solemn prayer, dressed in pristine white crushed velvet papal robes and towering Pope’s mitre atop his head. As the otherworldly soundtrack gives way to the industrial chaos of Blade by DJ Kuba, Neitan & Bounce Inc., Sebastian discards sanctity in favour of sin. One by one, the sacred garments fall away, revealing a black and silver strappy studded ensemble and thigh-high stiletto boots that demand worship. As the beat drops into a blood-rave frenzy, a pair of demonic horns and a devil’s tail make their appearance, cheekily upending religious iconography with queer decadence. Sebastian delivers a performance that dances on the knife’s edge of taboo, blending the sacred and the profane into a spectacle both blasphemous and breathtaking.
Samantha La Veuve turns prom night on its head in a gloriously chaotic solo development act set to Welcome to Horrorwood by Ice Nine Kills. Dressed in her actual high school formal dress – a floor-length spaghetti-strapped green and black sequinned gown – with a faux fur stole draped around her shoulders, she emerges from the audience like the final girl of a horror flick. But this is no teen scream; it’s full-blown metalesque mayhem. As the beat drops, Samantha rips the stole away, slips off the spaghetti straps of her dress and shimmies out of it with attitude. Beneath lies a black corseted ensemble, which she teases and trails along her limbs before tossing it aside. Hitting the stage with a sultry floorwork sequence, she hits every beat with power and precision, revealing a pair of black teardrop pasties behind her fur stole. Gothic, gritty, and gloriously intense, this was horror burlesque done right.
In a solo development performance dripping with style and substance, Polly Esther Pantomime pays tribute to the golden age of glam rock in their solo development act to Tell Me What You Want by Zebra. Cloaked in a sheer, embroidered black floor-length robe and towering glittering silver platform heels with a black tulle boa draped around their neck, they exude androgynous glamour as they tease the audience with a coy unraveling of layers. Polly commands attention not just with their look, but with their choreography: fluid, flirtatious, and full of rock-and-roll swagger. After a sizzling floorwork sequence atop their boa, they playfully unzip their corset and in one swift motion remove the cups in their bra to reveal a pair of sparkling silver glitter pasties. A bold, glitter-drenched celebration of self-expression and unapologetic glam.
A pair of rhinestone heels are placed gently at the front and centre of the stage, and Duke Draper begins a solo development routine steeped in introspection and simmering sensuality. To the haunting strains of In the Cold Light of Morning by Placebo, Duke slowly unveils a silver rhinestoned glove, fingertips adorned with shimmering teardrop embellishments that catch the stage lights like falling stars. With tantalising slowness, they bring the glove to their mouth and remove it with a sultry bite. Cloaked in a long white button up shirt and a string of pearls around their neck, Duke moves with the slow confidence of someone baring both body and soul. As they peel away the shirt to reveal a shimmering silver bodysuit, each motion shimmers with restraint and release. Duke holds the audience in their palm the entire time and never lets go.
Stepping out of the shadows like a jazz-age fever dream, featured guest performer Connie Curveball brings razzle, dazzle, and a touch of Velma Kelly sass in her showstopping solo, Deco Darling. To the sultry swing of A Real Class Act by Martin Landstrom, transitioning into the timeless classic Puttin’ on the Ritz, Connie shimmers onstage in a floor-length flounce-sleeved black sequinned gown. Her headpiece, a rhinestone half-circle with bold Art Deco geometry, is pure Ziegfeld Follies meets Chicago noir. With a wink and a smirk, she strips away her gloves finger by finger, each move deliciously timed to the beat. As the track flips to full flapper mode, she ditches the gown in one swift spin, revealing a glistening 1920s-inspired black and silver rhinestoned three-piece ensemble beneath. Twirling, teasing, and commanding the stage with jazzy precision, Connie delivers a tribute to classic burlesque, polished to a high shine and with a modern bite.
What better way to close than with an ode to scene queens and sad teens? Set to the cult classic Helena by My Chemical Romance, this homage to the emo anthem of the 2000s was brought to life by an ensemble of students: Jacquie, Monty Mishap, Luna C, Lu Lu Belle, Serafina Fae, Sasha Thorne, Arielle Diamond, and Kat Scratch Fever. Half the cast embodies the mournful figure of Helena herself; clad in sheer black veils and short black funeral dresses, clutching bouquets of red and black roses. While the other half step into the Converse shoes and skinny jeans of a brooding Gerard Way, complete with black button-downs shirts and crimson ties. They enter the stage in solemn pairs, the Gerards gently lifting the veils of their Helena counterparts in a moment of gothic romance. What follows is a poetic unraveling; choreographed partner work that sees longing gazes, dramatic twirls, and mournful separation. Bouquets are tossed, veils cast aside, and shirts unbutton to reveal glittering coffin-shaped pasties beneath. The Helenas slip into the crowd, removing their dresses and returning with black lace parasols which they spin with flair and fury. The finale sees a glorious climax of scene phase seduction and cabaret melancholy. It’s burlesque for the broken-hearted, and it hits all the right chords.
As the glitter settles and the last stocking is peeled, The Ritual leaves its mark not just as a showcase, but as a summoning; of talent, transformation, and pure alternative, unconventional artistry. Blending the raw passion of solo development students with the electric precision of group ensembles and the seasoned flair of featured guest performers, this one-night-only spectacle is a masterclass in alternative burlesque. Every act, whether debuting or distinguished, carries the signature Haus of Coffin ethos: bold, boundary-pushing, and dripping in dark glamour. At the helm of it all is producer and headmistress Vivienne Von Coffin, whose vision and leadership continue to carve out space for weird, wonderful, and wildly creative talents amongst Adelaide’s performing arts and burlesque scene. Through her school and productions like this, she offers not just a stage, but a sanctuary where rebellion is ritual, difference is divine, and every performer is empowered to reveal their most fearless self. In a world that still fears the shadows, those at Haus of Coffin Burlesque dare to dance in them – and invites us all to watch in awe.
Haus of Coffin Burlesque Revue: The Ritual
Date: Friday 5 September 2025
Location: Nexus Arts: Lion Arts Centre, 68 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
Rating: ★★★★½
The Adelaide Insider 