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Briefs: Dirty Laundry – A Sparkling Show of Fun and Freedom

24 March 202411 March 2024 Rebecca Yeo

Briefs: Dirty Laundry is a dazzling delight that bursts with energy and excitement. Set in a laundromat, this production challenges conventional notions of gender, sexuality, and performance art, all while delivering an evening of pure entertainment at Sydney Spiegeltent.

From the moment the show starts, the audience is thrust into a world where boundaries are meant to be broken. The cast of Briefs exudes confidence and charisma as they effortlessly blend elements of cabaret, circus, and burlesque into a seamless performance. Each act is a testament to their talent, with acrobatics, dance and comedy that leave the audience mesmerized and in stitches.

Briefs: Dirty Laundry is led by the charismatic Fez Faanana, also known as Shivanana. Thomas Worrell, with his impossibly fast spinning aerial routine, and Serenity, portrayed by circus artist Dylan Rodriguez, were standout performers who left the audience in awe. Another standout performer was Dale Woodbridge-Brown, who, along with Mark “Captain Kidd” Winmill, gave us hilarious facials and group routines. Other ultra-talented performers who made up the cast were Rowan Thomas and Brett Rosengreen.

The Sydney Spiegeltent provided the perfect venue to complement each performance. The set design and wardrobe of some of the routines added to the laundromat setting. Some of the routines did not seem to fit into the setting. However, they were all still enjoyable to watch. The wardrobe, or lack thereof, was fun and left the audience wondering what outrageous costume change would come next. The playlist was filled with wonderful nods to pop culture, while lighting enhanced the audience’s experience as we knew who to focus on during the performances.

What sets Briefs: Dirty Laundry apart is its fearless exploration of gender identity and expression. The performers challenge traditional notions of masculinity and femininity. Through their captivating performances, they celebrate the beauty of diversity and the freedom to be true to oneself, regardless of societal norms.

Briefs: Dirty Laundry is not just a performance but an experience. From the moment everyone entered the venue, they were transformed into the Brief’s world. A raffle ticket drawer gave the show a sense of interaction that you don’t normally see at many theatre shows. Audience members left their inhibitions at the door and laughed along in an inviting atmosphere.

Whether you’re drawn to acrobatics or cheeky charm, this show promises a memorable experience. The last Sydney show is this Friday, March 15th, so make sure to get your tickets before the group disappears. My one piece of advice is to go in with an open mind and enjoy a night full of surprise and laughter.

This review also appears on It’s On The House, and check out more reviews at Dark Stories Theatre to see what else is on in your town.

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A Fish Is A Terrible Friend

11 March 2024 Karen Yee

Phoebe Anne Taylor heard the words she wrote in her play A Fish Is a Terrible Friend spoken out loud for the first time in three years and was terrified. Written over a period of one and a half weeks whilst in residency at Arteles Creative Center in Finland eight years ago, Taylor’s words give life to characters negotiating the meaning of life, love and loss and reveal a lot about her thoughts at the time. I was privileged to attend a reading of the play hosted by Incognita Enterprises at the inspiring venue and artists’ hub, Montsalvat, Eltham.

A play reading is very different from a fully produced play. There are no costumes or sets, lighting or sound effects to convey when or where a scene takes place. We have to listen carefully to the “big print,” that is, the playwright’s descriptions of the scenes and actions of the characters, which are read out loud by a Narrator, in this case, Taylor herself, who is also an actor.

It is understood that the actors will be reading from their script with little or no rehearsal. In this case, there was one rehearsal a week before. The actors remain seated for the duration, and we watch them carefully for facial expressions and body language that add to their vocal communication. There is nothing else to watch. We have to use our imagination to provide an image of the character’s appearance and movements (for example, when the narrator says, “They kiss”).

This makes the whole experience more like listening to a radio play or podcast, and I closed my eyes to picture the scenario or wondered how it could be made to work on stage. We are drawn into being co-creators of the play’s imagery in our minds. In fact, the whole creative process is on show here, especially highlighted by the playwright’s introduction and the Q&A discussion at the end. I found it an exhilarating and inspirational format.

Luckily for us, actors Sarah Hallam, Sally McLean, Paul Rochford and Phoebe Anne Taylor are all seasoned professionals who are so highly trained that each of them are also actor trainers. It was not hard to follow what was happening, and the performances were engaging. Interestingly, Taylor has been intentionally writing gender-neutral characters into her plays for some time now. This allows them to be played by any gender, whether cis or trans. The characters pronouns are written parenthetically as “(they/them)” which then can be replaced in the rehearsal stage with the preferred pronoun of the actor and/or at the discretion of the director.

The protagonists of this play are Alpha (Rochford) and Omega (Hallam), and they need to work out their tortured relationship before the world ends. “I want to die with you, but I couldn’t leave you”, admits Alpha while they watch the doom approaching. McLean plays four other characters who serve to interrupt, comment on and move the action along. Her reading of the sleazy bartender called the Flamingo was hilarious and pretty much stole the show.

I haven’t given away much about the play itself because the highlights of this play reading were the insights into Taylor’s creative process and how it sparked my own imagination. Plus, I think you should see it yourself when it gets fully produced. In the meantime, keep an eye on Incognita Enterprises for its quality events, classes, and productions.

This review also appears on It’s On The House, and check out more reviews at Dark Stories Theatre to see what else is on in your town.

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Boeing Boeing – A Fun Ride On An Old Classic

9 March 2024 Steve Willems

As the lights dimmed and the last few people made their way to their seats, I turned to my friend and said they should play the message tone familiar to anyone who’s hopped on a plane. Moments later, there it was, that familiar sound, followed by a tongue-in-cheek announcement mimicking cabin crew telling us the onboard entertainment would be live. It made me smile like a little kid getting ice cream. In an instant, I knew this was going to be fun, and I settled in for take-off.

Marc Camoletti’s Boeing Boeing has been a theatre staple since its first French production in 1960, even made into a movie starring Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis. Set in 1960s Paris, contemporary at the time, it’s aged into a retro comedy about a deceitful Lothario, Bernard, juggling three separate fiancés who are all air hostesses. Thanks to alternating airline schedules, each comes home for a short time believing they’re Bernard’s one true love while remaining oblivious to the others. The energetic farce kicks off when Bernard’s old friend Robert arrives, and interruptions to the schedules throw the routine into chaos, sending the women into a turbulent collision course.

Michael Mulvenna seems at ease playing the womanising Bernard, oozing sophistication and charm in the early stages and then descending into panic and terror as he loses control. Each of his three fiancés in their colour-coded uniform brought their characters to life with exaggerated accents and outstanding energy.

In red, there’s the confident and sassy American, Gloria (Laura Stead); in blue is the fiery and temperamental Italian, Gabriella (Gabrielle Rawlings); and in yellow, the carnal and loud German, Gretchen (Cassandra Gorman). (As an aside, the sets and costume design are terrific.) Luke Baweja does a great job as the nervous Robert, trying desperately to keep the women apart as they play musical rooms. His physical comedy often triggered the biggest laughs, and his manic nervousness created a sense of exhaustion whilst still allowing the fun to continue.

My highlight was Maggie Scott as Bernard’s long-suffering and grumpy maid, Bertha. Her sardonic French accent and defeated body language were constantly amusing, and she was a delight every time she shuffled onto the stage and sighed, ‘Yes, monsieur.’

While the play is a classic for good reason, the story risks becoming outdated, such as Bernard’s pride in his ‘clever’ deception and manipulation of women or Richard’s admiration of it. Luckily, it isn’t mean-spirited, and the women give as much as they get.

The play deals with Bernard’s womanising in a way that justice is served while still making everyone happy. Director Chrissie McIntyre rightfully focused on the tomfoolery and physical comedy to keep the audience laughing throughout. The cast attacked the material with energy and enthusiasm, which is vital in making a play like this work. It’s meant to be silly and fun, so if you don’t buy into the characters and absurdity of the situation, or if the actors hold back, you don’t laugh. Thankfully, I did, and so did everyone else.

Boeing Boeing is a fun, light-hearted retro romp that’s boarding at the Hunters Hills Theatre in Club Ryde until the 24th of March. Don’t miss your flight!

This review also appears on It’s On The House, and check out more reviews at Dark Stories Theatre to see what else is on in your town.

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MILF And The Mistress

10 March 20249 March 2024 Alby T Grace

I must admit, walking into this theatre piece at the lovely Jack and Jill’s Basement, I was cringingly expecting some burlesque/cabaret/kink crossover. I went in with low expectations and left shocked and elated at how brilliant and thought-provoking Jennifer Vuletic presented this show.

At first, as Jennifer showed us some simple rope tricks and talked about the illusory nature of magic, I was sure I was with an accomplished performer, but I was still hesitant about the content I would see. Not that I’m a prude at all – in fact, I love to see real, actual experiences of sex on stage. It’s more that the Fringe is littered with much of the same content; the lure of tasselled boobs and whooping crowds. So, at first, the ropes made me think, well, here we are again. But – we certainly were not.

Soon, we met Ali, an older, suburban, lesbian mum who was married and had two boys. She unleashes a torrent of words describing her life and situation, the somewhat drab and entrenched existence she finds herself in—she’s not discontented; life is fine, but it’s just a little…dull. It’s missing something.

The writing is very fast-paced, and it took me about five minutes to hook in and really listen. It was a little hard to keep track of the narrative initially, but once Jennifer started to talk about being interrogated regarding how her wife got pregnant, I was reeled in.

The shock of the first scene featuring the Mistress is wonderful and exciting. Jennifer is inherently believable throughout and clearly a deeply accomplished actor. Her body and voice are working in incredible sync, and she can use the tonality of her instrument to shift characters effortlessly. This is not a one-woman show where she plays or inhabits multiple characters; however, she sometimes imitates the people who are speaking to her – with brilliant effect. A highlight was Sandra, in the staff room, telling Ali about FetLife and opening her up to a whole world of possibility – icky, scary and pulse-pounding.

Books are celebrated, and the literary nature of the text is balanced—sometimes, the prose is elegiac and complicated, and at others, it is simple, erotic, and funny. There were plenty of sly jokes and funny turns of phrase throughout, all delivered with aplomb and pace by Jennifer.

It is, in turn, a piece about the dream of eroticism and the reality of stepping into another world where your boundaries are pushed. It’s a love letter to kink, growing older, lesbianism and literature. It’s an inspirational work that encourages us all to take the risks we were always scared of, to pursue that dream you kept hidden. In this case, her dream is to experience spanking and bondage by a mistress finally, and much of the humour lies in that.

Tawdry as it might sound, how the material is handled means that we can imbue any dream into it. Whilst it is a play about kink and the character’s idiosyncratic and personal experience, it’s also a play about all of us and how we could all take a risk.

This is the sort of play I want to see on the main stage at State Theatre. It has so many powerful and important messages. Sex work is real work. People have desires, needs, and wants even when they are growing older. Sex work is self-care. There is magic in the minute. As the character says, this play beautifully explores “the everything of something ineffable.”

The Milf and the Mistress is a five-star theatre show that should be experienced by as many as possible. Jennifer is an uncommonly good performer, and the play shows us a world that might be unfamiliar, even scary but is, in fact, the world we all live in. The Milf and the Mistress is at Jack and Jill’s Basement on Pirie St, til Sunday, 10th March.

This review also appears on It’s On The House, and check out more reviews at Dark Stories Theatre to see what else is on in your town.

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