Cabaret Decadanse the ultimate puppet show

Cabaret Decadanse is billed as the ultimate puppet show for adults, a phrase conjuring up images of puppet sex and depravity as seen in the movie Team America. Both that film and this stage show feature puppets satirising human foibles.

In Team America the satire is at the expense of dumb and glossy Hollywood blockbusters so the puppets performances are, well, wooden. In Cabaret Decadanse the puppets are divas, torch-singers and transvestites, and every little facial expression and body movement counts. These pint-sized performers seem so real that you half expect to see them after the show in the bar or leaving the theatre in a fleet of little limos.

Created by Montreal company Soma International, Cabaret Decadanse is a simple concept carried out with virtuoso skill. Puppeteers Annemarie Panneton, Serge Deslauriers and Enock Turcotte use mask, marionettes and even the humble sock puppet to create a steamy, after-dark nightclub world.

Being a cabaret there is no story as such, just an MC introducing a series of song-and-dance acts performed by the puppets as stars. And what stars - Kiko the Latin lover, Mauve the cheeky starlet, Conrad the world-weary transvestite and Lorraine the Diva with more attitude than Naomi Campbell. They perform a repertoire that's a treat for any music lover sampling pop, blues, jazz and Broadway numbers.

The show has minimal props and basic lighting. The real special effects come from the puppeteers' talent. Most impressive are Serge and Enock, who work as a team to bring the characters to life. Their skillful and imaginative movements enable them to create the characters and interact with them at the same time. And the huge personalities of the puppets mean that more often than not it seems that they are really manipulating their masters.

Cabaret Decadanse is just what you would expect from a cabaret, a glamorous, bawdy, funny escape from the mundane.

* Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, The Edge, February 25 to March 6