CELL, BLOCK TANGO: SHOWTUNES ON MODERN DATING to Play The Butterfly Club

Did he ghost me? Should I block her? What is poly? Will I ever meet a guy not posing with sedated tigers? Presented by The Butterfly Club, Cell, Block Tango: Showtunes on Modern Dating is a cabaret about the perils and pitfalls of app 'romance' - a Bob Fosse-style, vaudeville lament on love in the time of Tinder.

Original monologues weave around sassy showtunes from Sweet Charity, Cabaret, Gypsy and Chicago, exploring the all-rules-but-no-rules enigma of contemporary courting and what happens to the poor shmucks trying to navigate it.

Witness the dating world's transition from the meat market to the stock market; hear stories from survivors of "benching", the Friendzone, and an unsolicited dick-pic blitz, and tales of woe from a hope-less romantic swiping for something real.

Writer and producer Louise Baxter says the absurdity and detachment of the current dating scene is a gift to satire.

"When you really think about it, the concept of app dating is ridiculous. A bunch of humans staring at a flat object - like the ape clutching a bone at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey - hoping to find a mate. It's primitive behaviour for an evolved species and has dredged up some pretty anti-social behaviour as a result. It's the blind leading the blind, none of us really know what we're doing," Baxter says.

"I wanted to juxtapose this with the sensual theatricality of cabaret, vaudeville and Broadway - one, because the contrast is pretty hilarious, and two, because it brings some passion and life to this sterile breed of romance.

"This isn't a serious show though - it's full of fun and snark and sexy times, with a cast that have earned their stripes on the frontline. But hopefully it'll portray some depth that audiences resonate with, too.

"Bring a date to the show - it'll be one hell of an icebreaker!"

Tickets from $28 / Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com.au

Australia - Melbourne Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL (Regent Theatre, Melbourne)

54.5% of votes

2. TWELFTH NIGHT (St Kilda Botanical Gardens)

18.3% of votes

3. MJ THE MUSICAL (Her Majesty's Theatre)

16.3% of votes

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