By Jennifer Beasley.
Gritty, mesmerising and uber athletic, Andrea James Lui slays the pole and captivates the audience.
It’s the Midsumma Festival, and to begin my foray into the start of 22 days of LGBTQ+ offerings, I decided to go with a bang. The Pole Shebang, to be specific, a 60-minute spectacular that showcases the awesome athleticism of Andrea James Lui, who hails from Canada, and utilises their Asian roots to wonderful comic effect in her monologues that range from their background, being Asian, their supportive mother, to both the positive and negative effects of pole dancing.
Held at the fabulous MC Showroom, I was greeted with enthusiasm by the owner, Miao (whose initial, along with her partner Craig, make up the ‘MC’ in Showroom) whose energy and kindness have made this venue a bespoke experience in Melbourne. Not only do they have spotless facilities, but the bar that’s inside the theatre is excellent, with the addition of the tiny cocktail tables a welcomed relief, especially for a reviewer who is busy writing notes.
The performance for the show I watched was sold out. The lovely couple sitting next to me have travelled from San Francisco to experience the magic of this festival, and I think it speaks to the power and brilliant advertising of the promoters that this event has such worldwide appeal.
Now, back to the show!
Andrea James Lui is a powerhouse of energy. With a dynamic opening, they turn the standing pole into an extension of their body as a booming rock song amps up the physical gyrations as Lui does flexible things that make me wish I’d stuck to the yoga.
Combining monologues with physical exertion is a challenging role, yet Lui does so with great aplomb. Their warm and engaging manner, honed from a decade teaching and performing their craft, means that audience interaction is a given.
With Lui’s encouragement, the audience stands and we all do a warm-up- shoulder rolls, neck stretches, and hip thrusts as indications of a pole dancers pre-dance routine.
A clever use of a mobile phone changes the direction; Lui has been invited to complete in The Miss Pole Dancer World Championship! Go Lui!
However, doubts arise. Lui ruminates on the loneliness and isolation of training, the inherent sexist where female dancers must wear 8-inch heels, whereas the men can do whatever they please, and the hidden cost with injuries and overtraining.
Audience participation is encouraged as Lui invites two women to come and learn how to do some of the basic moves. Both Christine and Jenny do a great job too!
I have never pole danced, nor really seen this mix of circus/dance/death wish before. My rather outdated ideas are seedy strip clubs with leering men objectifying women. A point that Lui makes as she re-enacts a competition held at such a venue, wearing aforementioned heels and a red bikini.
A wonderfully vulnerable moment that is succinctly followed up with a cut to breath work and allowing the audience to rest as we all closed our eyes and have a few moments to collect ourselves as Lui then does floor work to “I had the Craziest Dream”, a cracker of a song and well done to DJ Liam, before demonstrating more extreme pole movements.
Covering themes of self-harm (overtraining and perfectionism), mental health and the goal of pole dancing as an act of empowerment, there is a wide range that Lui talks about, yet at 60 minutes there is not enough time to fully address many of these concerns. However, sometimes the act of releasing these thoughts is enough. And ‘enough’ is more than acceptable.
A brilliant show, and I loved that Lui, in her great kindness, chatted to the audience afterwards.
Now, where is the closest studio to sign up for lessons?
The Pole Shebang playing at 8:00 pm Thurs-Sat and 6pm Sunday at The MC Showroom until 25th January, 2026.
