There are a few performers you never forget. They leave an impression that burns into your brain. Laurie Hagen is one of those artists. I have worked with her for over a decade, and I am thrilled she has agreed to host Spiegelworld’s new venture, THE PARTY at Superfrico.
Laurie grew up between Belgium and London, attending ballet school and taking tap and acting lessons. She was eventually drawn to the freedom of burlesque and found herself under the wing of British neo-burlesque star Polly Rae. Laurie soon developed her unique style and created her reverse strip act, which became famous worldwide. Watching this act is like pressing the rewind button on a movie, as a classy striptease act plays out from the end to the beginning. The precision, artistry, sensuality, and wit add up to a mesmerising experience.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw it. Following the success of Absinthe’s opening in Las Vegas in 2011, Spiegelworld’s next project was a new dining, live show, and nightclub concept, known as Vegas Nocturne, presented in a custom-built venue at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. In 2013, I was in London casting for the show and found myself at an underground cabaret in Soho. Laurie Hagen was hosting. I was transfixed by her stage presence and ability to connect with an audience. I think one of her fellow cast members, fire-breather Angie Sylvia, introduced us. I invited Laurie to come to Las Vegas. We had rented a house for a month where a bunch of clowns and performers would live and work together to improvise and develop the comic world of Vegas Nocturne. That’s where Laurie created the character of Hrit, the maid for the Fazlone-Buzukhov family of characters at the core of the show. You may have seen her portrait from that time, which now hangs in Superfrico, taken by the incredible photographer Erik Madigan Heck. Vegas Nocturne opened in 2014, and Laurie played a central role in many memorable moments. Apart from her reverse strip act, my favorite was when she would perform in the restaurant, belting out an unhinged jazz version of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, in Flemish, while dancing on top of the piano and skipping over guests’ drinks along the top of the bar.
Laurie has graced the stages of cabaret shows around the world. Most recently, she headlined at the famous Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris. And now, I am so excited that Laurie has agreed to host THE PARTY at Superfrico, in the very same space that was once home to Vegas Nocturne, a decade ago.
Ross Mollison
Impresario Extraordinaire, Spiegelworld