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Not only is it now home to the largest non-commercial sauna in the southern hemisphere, I just love that the Tuggeranong Arts Centre is bringing a little bit of sexy chaos to the stage on a Wednesday night.
Burlesque royalty Moira Finucane is in town for a one-off performance of The Exotic Lives of Lola Montez - a variety show that chronicles the outrageous adventures of "the wildest showgirl of the 1800s".
Montez made her debut as a showgirl in London in 1843, but it was her scandalous visit to Ballarat and its surrounding goldfields in 1855 that still has the rural Victorian town talking.
"In 2012 we toured our show Caravan Burlesque around Australia, and when we toured through the goldfield towns, people would often say: 'you're the wildest thing to come through this town since Lola Montez'," Finucane said.
"Well, we had to find out more about this fascinating woman – and so The Exotic Lives of Lola Montez was born."
Famous for refusing to wear underwear, screaming back at audience-goers brave enough to heckle during her shows and leaving chaos in her wake (she reportedly horsewhipped the editor of The Ballarat Times after he gave her a bad review), The Exotic Lives of Lola Montez has a little bit of all these things.
"Lola Montez inspired many people both throughout her career and beyond," Finucane said.
"We can't wait to bring a little bit of Montez mayhem to the capital."
The show stars Caroline Lee as Montez, and Montez-style performances by Holly Durant.
The Exotic Lives of Lola Montez, Wednesday September 13, 8pm, Tuggeranong Arts Centre. For more information and tickets visit www.tuggeranongarts.com
