On a Saturday night at popular vaudeville venue Speakeasy HQ, I was delighted and excited to witness “Harem of the Goddess – An Offering to the Divine (Verse 3)”. Billed as a show featuring ritual, dance, burlesque, fire and shibari, I knew a fascinating adventure was about to unfold for the audience. The evening was auspicious and was to contain many surprises as I ended up meeting a kindred spirit to enjoy the show with! Upon arrival at the theatre, the scene was set with mysterious chanting music (which was haunting at times) along with a magickal alter set up on stage, surrounded by a circle of salt.

The host for the evening is Piro – a mysterious looking guide for the audience, who prepares us for what is to come and sets down some ground rules. As this is a show that features nudity / partial nudity, I do not have any photos to accompany this review – you’ll just have to use your imagination!

As an audience member, be prepared to be a part of the show and indeed drawn into it. The first part of the show is in fact a ritual led by Jackyl  – The Pharaoh’s only daughter – and also features a trio of performers, welcoming the audience and casting the sacred circle. Whether the circle of salt keeps the good energy in and keeps the bad spirits out (or both!) I was drawn in by the ritual and could feel energy radiating throughout the theatre. Prepare to be reborn into a time where ritual is everything. I have a feeling that this event and ritual gives us all what we need in our own different ways. Throughout the night I felt the audience was truly in Jackyl’s domain. Masterful, powerful and elegant at times – all eyes are on Jackyl whenever she enters the room.

Elina Skye appeared on stage with a punk style burlesque routine which I thoroughly enjoyed. Playfully teasing the audience and showing off some athleticism, I felt the room heat up with seduction and emotion. Multi talented dancer Victoria Wolf was up next with a dance piece featuring a ball gag (in place for the entirety of the routine) worn whilst dancing and contorting herself into all kinds of shapes – a testament to her stamina! Whether she was bound by pleasure or pain, the audience was lapping up every move.

After a brief interval, Piro asked the audience to close our eyes and imagine we were in ancient, imperial Japan – for the next act was a display of shibari: the binding and suspension of a person – a bondage art. Von Riga spent time meticulously preparing and checking the ropes that bound Babydoll (who looked as though she was in a trance the entire time). Whilst some people may find shibari uncomfortable to watch or make them feel uneasy, I noticed that Von Riga often caressed Babydoll and almost chanted to her and I felt that the binding was done in a beautiful way. It was fascinating how the ropes were woven and strapped together to support a greater weight than the sum of their parts, and at the conclusion of the act I looked around the room to find the audience looking thoughtful and intrigued by the shibari (and suspended Babydoll) before them.

Rouge Z appeared within the salt circle with a mystical sword bellydance featuring some serpentine moves combined with sword balancing. At this point, I almost thought we had gone to Agrabah for the night! It was easy to be entranced by Rouge Z’s beautiful moves and enchanting display. Rouge Z was ever smiling, whilst also having a air of mystery about her. Jackyl – The Pharaoh’s only daughter – finished the evening of ritual, entertainment and dance with a stunning burlesque and classic tease routine featuring a chair. It was a sultry routine making the crowd wild and wanting more.

VERDICT: A sumptuous evening of entertainment with added mystery, ritual and thoughtful elements. Something I’ve never witnessed before but thoroughly enjoyed.

Disclaimer: I attended this performance as a guest of the show producer.

*Additional notes: although this show features magick ritual, it does so respectfully and never ventures into areas that would be considered “too dark”. Having said that, the content of this show means that is strictly suitable for those over the age of 18.

Tickets and more information: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=314829&
Whilst I attended this show on a Saturday evening, the remaining shows of the run take place on a Friday evening.