‘Que será, será whatever will be, will be, the future’s not ours to see, que será será’
Our world is made up of millions of people, all going about their business, trying to create a life for themselves, trying to put food on the table. Within that global community there is a much maligned group that lives under the radar, surfacing to earn their keep and adding a little bit of glamour to the ordinary.
I apologise for the lateness of this piece, as work, bouts of flu and then the heat really took their toll.
Burlesque dancers and strip club dancers are in a league of their own I feel. There are challenges that are unique to their line of work. The very nature of the dancing is seen as risqué and not for polite society. The role of women is up for debate at the moment; the issues are too important and complex to discuss here. Suffice to say, individual choice, fairness in the workplace and safety have to be central to the discussion.
Earlier this year Mazzy Snape of Bread Productions very kindly invited me to the premiere of a pilot episode of ‘Kitty Clap Klub’ the brainchild of Natasha Killip, who plays Chantelle in the show. It was her real life experiences that inspired this show.
This kitten club is completed with Poppy Abbott as Maisie, Dorothea Jones as Trinity, Adi Alfa as Aaliyah, and Rachel Baker as Angel.
Set inside a strip club that has a colourful and confident, wacky and wonderful group of girls that work there, we see how their worlds collide with each other, the staff employed there and the repercussions with the outside world. The characters are relatable, they are a mirror to our own lives, as we also struggle with the day to day, their worries are our own.
Filmed on a knicker elastic tight budget, and directed by Jack Richardson of Run Home Productions, experience life, love, laughter, mixed with a health dose of reality when we are faced with high drama as the menstrual cycle decides to gatecrash the Halloween night show. You know it is happening and you can’t find the toilets or the exits quick enough, and your hormones decide to reassess their position and purpose in your life.
There is warmth and kindness sitting alongside frustration and finger-pointing, the tension reaches us via the screen, and we are drawn into their battles. It is the humour (pumpkin or butternut squash – same thing really) that brings everything together and cements the humanity in us all.
With an unexpected cameo from my friend Andrew Miller, it was a great watch. It is the kind of show that makes you realise that we are not qualified to sit as judge, jury and executioner because we all have issues and anxieties and we are all trying to muddle through this life as best as we can.
I can truthfully say, hand on bra strap, that I wish this gets the funding it deserves. There is so much heart and soul, high heels and low balance, squished into this short film, you want to see what happens next. The characters are endearing; they are innocent and desperately trying to find their place when the world won’t listen.
Meow, if you wanna go faster,
Azra Pathan
Kitty Clap Klub – Mockingbird Cinema, Flatpack Festival May 2026, Birmingham.