On Tuesday Same Same and our mates at GiRLTHING joined The Australian Museum’s regular Jurassic Lounge night with our own mix of entertainment. Our guests included The Stage Door Johnnies, Jack Colwell & the Owls, Julia & the Deep Sea Sirens, and MC Brendan Maclean. But that’s not all that was on offer…

I walked in to The Australian Museum for Jurassic Lounge having no real idea what to expect (which is ALWAYS a good sign!). Sure I knew what entertainment and activities were planned for the night but I was uncertain as to what the crowd would be like, how things would be received, what the participation level would be like and generally what my experience would be.

Thankfully I had friend and Australian Museum employee Ingrid Bennet with me. Ingrid was one of the people responsible for getting Jurassic Lounge off the ground in the first place so being a first timer, it was great to have someone show me around and explain everything.

We started off with a cocktail and a tour of the museum. Some activities were still being setup but it didn’t take long to get a feel for Jurassic Lounge. It was a night where you got out of it what you put into it. You didn’t have to look very far to be entertained. I started out watching a demonstration by the Sydney Roller Derby League girls and after seeing and hearing some of their tricks, stories and bruises I definitely think I’ll be checking out roller derby in the future!

On the way to grabbing my first cocktail of the evening I passed by people playing Jenga, a SEGA setup, a Nintendo 64 and even a Twister board. It was all very inviting and gave the night such a fun and exciting feel. Who dreams up an event like this?

There was a large crowd gathering for the first burlesque performances and it being burlesque I knew exactly what to expect (that is, I had no idea what to expect!) and I was not disappointed. You really have to experience burlesque live in order to get the full effect but both performances were fantastic and I’ll take my hat off to anyone who is willing to not only stylishly and artistically get naked in front of such a large crowd, but have the nudity not be the focus of their performance. Also my heart goes out to the poor audience member who found himself at the centre of Jester Schrodinger Smilez performance. It’s one thing to watch a burlesque performance, it’s quite another to have the performer drag you to centre stage, tear your shirt open and scribble their name on your chest in lipstick.

My final event for the night was Date Roulette. I considered throwing my hat in the ring but considering I had a few friends who had signed up I was much more comfortable to sit back and spectate. People who had signed up were pair off by their sexual preference and sent away for a 10-minute speed date at one of the various activities running at the time. There were lots of laughs and it was fun not only for the participants but also the audience.

Jurassic Lounge was great in that the revolving entertainment meant you could stay in one place all night to socialise and you’d be exposed to a variety of different “acts”, or that you could wander around every half hour and once again be exposed to a different variety of entertainment options. From DJs to bands to Roller Derby League to a game of Jenga, Jurassic Lounge has it all and as I said earlier, you get out of it what you put in.

The current season of Jurassic Lounge has only one more event, scheduled for Tuesday October 30 and while the entertainment won’t be the same as it was for the Same Same night, if the kind of things that I’ve described above seems even somewhat appealing to you, I strongly suggest that you check it out. You won’t be disappointed!

Catch up with the Jurassic Lounge on Facebook here.