Vitalstatistix in association with State Theatre Company presents a Torque Show production

In 1981, a young Egyptian refugee and choreographer signed up to transform a strip club. Thirty-three years later, he is stepping back from the limelight. It’s time to tell his story.

Madame: The Story of Joseph Farrugia is a performance work based on the life and times of adult entertainment trailblazer Joseph Farrugia aka Madame Josephine, long time creative director and host of famous Adelaide strip club Crazy Horse Revue/Madame Josephine’s. Crazy Horse has been a place of fascination for many South Australians. Whether it’s been a hen’s night, buck’s show, a search for intimacy or a stolen glance up the stairwell, this venue is iconic in our city’s sexual landscape.

Part confessional, part documentary, Madame charts Joseph’s extraordinary personal story alongside the dramatic changes erotic entertainment has undergone in three decades, as vaudevillian burlesque has given way to the explosion of global internet pornography.

Generated from hours of interviews with Joseph and performed verbatim, this innovative new piece of dance theatre is an accessible and highly entertaining queer account of love, identity and ambition, from the point of view of a veteran whose life personifies his industry’s complexity.

Created by Torque Show (Malmö, Be Prepared, Intimacy), and produced by Vitalstatistix, we are delighted to support Madame through our State Umbrella program after hosting the final development phase of the production through State Resident in 2013.

World Premiere Season