She may be based in Queensland now, but Clara Cupcakes (A.K.A Elly Squire) began her career here in Perth, with Sugar Blue Burlesque. 

Since then she’s developed her own style of burlesque and surrealist comedy, inspired by the vaudeville acts of the 1920s and comedians of the silent film era. Drawing together jazz dance, circus, clowning and old-fashioned sensibilities, she’s a regular on the Australian comedy and cabaret circuits. 

Now Clara is back in town with two shows – one for the Blue Room’s Summer Nights program and one for Fringe World – that she promises will be “one heck of a hootenanny”.

Intrigued, Nina Levy caught up with Clara to learn more.

Nina Levy: For Seesaw Mag readers who don’t know you, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work? 

Clara Cupcakes: My character, Clara Cupcakes, is a vaudeville joy machine. I specialise in genre-blending buffoonery and modern comedy with a vintage flair. Think Betty Boop singing Lizzo, or Benny Hill but not sexist/racist/all the ists. I’m always thinking WWLBD – What Would Lucille Ball Do? 

I specialise in genre-blending buffoonery and modern comedy with a vintage flair … I’m always thinking WWLBD – What Would Lucille Ball Do? 

I bridge the gaps between burlesque, comedy, drag, and circus by sticking my fingers into every performance pie within arm’s reach and shoving them figuratively (rarely literally) into the awaiting audience maws for a new taste sensation.

NL: You’re performing at both The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights and Fringe World this year. Tell us about the two shows you’ll be presenting, Yee Howdy and Clara Cupcakes’ Good Time Corral.

CC: For Summer Nights I’m bringing Yee Howdy, a comedic vaudevillian cowgirl adventure. It follows the journey of The Cowgirl trying to find the last cow, a legendary beast that will save the world. She‘s helped on her quest by a cavalcade of characters in the Wild Wild West.

On top of trademark manic, genre-blending buffoonery, Yee Howdy is my first foray into character work that isn’t just Clara. Inspired by spaghetti westerns, pin-up queens, and the travelling shows of the pre-television era, Yee Howdy is the sweet, silly dustbowl circus we all need in this weary wild west. 

And for Fringe World I have a late-night silly saloon show, Clara Cupakes’ Good Time Corral. I’ve been performing worldwide at the widest variety of events imaginable, from far-flung fringes to fancy arts festivals and strange warehouse absurdist raves. I’ve formed the fastest friendships with some of the most mind-blowingly talented people I have ever met. 

So I made an absurdist, alt-comedy variety show that I’m at the helm of, where I can highlight and display those wonderful people at their silliest and rejoice in my newfound love of MCing. I used to dread it. But in Brisbane, I took over the hosting duties of the iconic event Rumble. It was such a thrill to hold the attention of the audience in the palm of my hand and develop a relationship with them during the night. 

I can’t wait to show my old stomping ground in Perth the glow-up I’ve had as a performer.

NL: What inspired you to make Yee Howdy and Clara Cupcakes’ Good Time Corral? 

CC: Lockdown really made me realise how much being on stage is a joy.  You don’t perform shows, you give them to the audience. I missed it so much. I wanted to give people shows again. 

I’ve always been interested in travelling circuses and old-school medicine shows so I work based around the concept. They thrived during recessions which feels relevant to the current state of the world. Wild West travelling shows were particularly fun and varied with instantly recognisable imagery and music. So I settled on becoming The Cowgirl and taking the audience along for the ride. 

NL: Take us behind the scenes of your shows – what happens during the creative process? 

CC: My process is a lot of pure and utter terror combined with manic productivity moments of brilliant euphoria and sudden late-night shower dread cries. I love making shows but they completely take over my life for months. It’s not really a linear process. 

The only consistent thing for me is I know what the show looks like before I even start writing. I pick the colour palette and draw up the costume for the main protagonist and those are the lynchpin I can keep going back to. From there I jump from writing to animation to costume designing to writing music to putting together soundscapes to choreographing. 

I’m a bit of a control freak and do probably too many parts of the show myself. But then if it goes wrong, I can only blame myself. Which is good, but also bad because I can’t fire myself either.

I always have to have fun sets and costumes when I make new work. For Yee Howdy, I’ve made a giant cactus, a glittery snake hat, a cow costume and a tumbleweed, which is definitely not made from a soccer ball I found on the side of the road covered in brown paper (it is 100% definitely).

I’ve always been interested in travelling circuses and old-school medicine shows …They thrived during recessions which feels relevant to the current state of the world.

NL: What do you hope audiences will take away from your shows?

CC: It’s such a cliche but I want them to have fun. I want them to come away from the show bubbling with excitement and chatting about the bits they liked best. And if they come away from it with the intended message and feel a bit better about the world, that’s a bonus.

NL: Aside from your own shows, what are you looking forward to seeing during the 2023 summer festival seasons?

CC: So many things! But especially Bright & Bold: Memoirs of a Desk Goblin. I’ve known Dureshawar Khan since our days starting off as burlesque babies and now look at us both in the absolutely stunning Summer Nights program. It makes me so proud of us little hoochie coochers!!

NL: What’s next for you after this?

CC: Yee Howdy is headed to Melbourne International Comedy Festival, then hopefully some other Australian cities after that. And then a rest! I had a baby in October so I’m going to take a break to put on one woman shows for my daughter and plan for the next year.

NL: What is your favourite part of the playground? 

CC: I’m a swings gal through and through. They are joy objectified.

You can see Clara Cupcakes in Yee Howdy, at The Blue Room Theatre, 31 January – 11 February 2023.

And you can catch her in Clara Cupcakes’ Good Time Corral at the Parlour at the Perth Cultural Centre, 3-11 February 2023.

Pictured top: Clara Cupcakes. Photo: Joel Devereux.

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