A history of Bollywood spills out as Benjamin Gilmour speaks. Marriages are tucked next to stylistic changes and discussion of the influence jazz had on the genre's Western awakening. The co-producer of the entertainment company Sugartime is like an amateur historian.
"As a DJ, I have an extensive Bollywood collection and have travelled to Bombay many times to look for the elusive perfect record," says Gilmour, who performs as Mr Mai Tai. "It is difficult over there, with the way they lay them out in the sun."
But Bollywood, until now, has been a side interest burlesque is the bread and butter of Sugartime, which bills itself as a vintage entertainment company.
"We've been tossing up how to do [Bollywood burlesque] in the best way, that is culturally sensitive," Gilmour says. "Bollywood screen stars don't even share a kiss but we're combining that with something that is a little risque and that's something we weren't brave enough to do in the beginning."
Bollywood, Beehives & Burlesque a one-off show to mark the company's second birthday will try to capture the atmosphere of Bombay in the late-1960s, throwing in a little burlesque and a genuine snake charmer, legal in NSW but not other states.
Some of Sydney's best-known vintage performers, including Mishka la Mink and La Vivianna, will perform as the Go-Go Army and Bollywood troupe Melange will appear.
"The show will channel a kind of '60s psychedelic Bollywood thing, that kitsch '60s angle," Gilmour says. "Renny Kodgers is going to go to India and become a love guru. He's going to take the audience on a pilgrimage."
Gilmour says burlesque has flourished in the past three years, moving out of the gay scene and into clubs and art venues, with his preferred unseated shows allowing for greater rawness and interaction with the audience.
"It is very boring to sit in a pub and drink beer after beer and be momentarily distracted by TV screens mounted to the ceiling and dull conversation. I think people are ready to embrace performance again."
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