The Cocoa Butter Club is a fantastic show with high energy, humour, unapologetic partial nudity, and a whole lot of talent.
The Cocoa Butter Club, started back in 2016 by Sadie Sinner (She/They/Godx) as a way to challenge the idea that there were no “black lesbians in cabaret” or are not “good enough to be on stage”. This is summed up in their clever tagline “Decolonising and Moisturising”. The Cocoa Butter Club wants to change how we perceive different genres of the performing arts such as burlesque, ballet, cabaret, etc by challenging the (mistaken) assumption that these genres are exclusively white. Sadie ‘decolonises’ the audience with her special brand of comedy and directness.
Because of their growing reputation and the great reviews, I was very excited to get an opportunity to watch Sadie and The Cocoa Butter Club in action. Sadie, the host of the show, has an abundance of brilliant charm and wit, and you immediately feel like she’s an old friend.
Sadie’s exhibits a very high level of professionalism, which was demonstrated when the microphone seemed to be causing them trouble. Sadie did not skip a beat. She carried on like the star she is. When the issue was sorted, they came back and delivered powerful vocals which blew me away. Sadie is most definitely a host to be reckoned with.
The Cocoa Butter Club promises to deliver excellence and that is exactly what was delivered. Sadie was joined by an all-star variety cast of performers; Sunny, the Snakeboy, a belly dancer, dazed the audience with hypnotising hip motions; Rhys’s Pieces, gymnastic drag artiste, commanded the stage and attention of the audience with high energy lip-sync; Jaide Annalise, a circus performer, performed a dance routine that spinning while holding onto a massive hoop. It was electrifying.
Amazi, a hula hooping Guinness World Record holder, showed a fantastic display of body coordination; Wesley Dykes, drag king, gave us a sexy spoken word striptease that made everyone in the audience very hot under the collar; The headlining act, Demi Noire, is voted the number 1 most influential Burlesque performer. After watching her perform, I can understand why. The way she moved around the stage was absolutely captivating. You will not be able to take your eyes off of her.
Sadie and her team create an unforgettable atmosphere that draws you into the show. When the show came to an end, I felt a reluctance to walk out of the theatre. In 2.5 hours, The Cocoa Butter Club managed to make me feel like a very special guest and I definitely felt like I was part of the family.
I strongly recommend seeing TheCocoa Butter Club in action because everyone should be ‘decolonised’ and gently ‘moisturised’. Learn more, or check out their upcoming events or gigs here