Briefs Dirty Laundry is a cornucopia of delights. Drag, circus, burlesque, ribald comedy, social commentary and all the serious madness of life.
The Players. Fez Faanana Director, Mark Winmill, Thom Worrell, Luke Hubbard, Dylan Rodriguez, Brett Rosengreen, Robbie Curtis, Dale Woodbridge-Brown
Shaved her legs and then he was a she/ Hey, babe/ Take a walk on the wild side. From Lou Reed. He of fluid sexuality, vicious and beautiful art, who took no prisoners whilst blowing you a kiss.
Briefs Factory was founded by led by Fez Faananana in 2008, in Queensland, Australia. There is a lot of synchronicity and serendipity there. The Factory was also Andy Warhol’s menagerie of artists, queers, transsexuals’, female muses and the Velvet Underground.
Fez is Samoan and has the status of matai, or chief.
This boylesque extravaganza has been headquartered in Australia and travelled an international circuit to generally widespread acclaim. They were last in New Zealand in 2019. The year before the madness contagion enveloped the world.
Queensland was a repressive state in past times but had relative freedom in the covid catastrophe. New Zealand and Melbourne had the most brutal lockdowns globally.
Fez introduces the show and acts as MC and Camp Mother to the troupe. He has perfect comedy timing and is hilarious as he effortlessly eases any tensions.
From the start there are serious underlying issues which he touches on. The emphasis is on being a safe space at the theatre. Where issues to be confronted.
This current show is a result of the dominance of the God Pan. Pandemic, panic and pandemonium. Everyone was forced to march to those panpipes.
The individual show pieces are built around the themes of confinement. The performers experiences and that of others. Losing friends and family as an example.
The title refers to the airing of dirty laundry. Those shameful secrets you suppress or hide.
Addressed on this show when everyone is asked to write down their own anonymously. Fez shares the ones he can safely read out and it can get close to the bone(r). It overrides any tension and is met with much laughter. Some of it probably nervous.
The opening is a synchronised dance piece involving huge powder puffs as the players go through Busby Berkeley styled routines.
They started in pink robes in the prelude engagement with the audience. This one is gold. They whip through several throughout the performance.
A tall girl-short man clown routine is hilarious with Woodbridge-Brown swallowing balloon swords and real ones which elicit genuine gasps from the crowd.
Winmill wears the highest hairdos, stumbles on high platform shoes, and performs a fiery (literally) hula hoop routine.
Worrall displays extreme artistic and athletic ability on the high suspended ring. I don’t think I have ever seen a faster erect rotational spin which ends the routine. Even on a skating rink.
Rosengreen does Olympic grade floor tumbles to the dictates of a pushy mum. Later he is aloft on the suspended sashes to demonstrate is near-perfect control of artistic poses.
Risque dancing involves splits, crotch-grabbing, and much shaking of booty. A genuine marvel, as I had just seen a Rap and Hip-Hop extravaganza the night before. The hot and sexy ladies combining with these guys would be sensory overload.
With those serious themes again, Fez mentions how hard it is to get Arts funding from controlling bodies who don’t regard them as having artistic merit.
That seems to be the cruelest blow of all.
Consider this. Shakespeare encompassed burlesque. Anyone attending the Pop-Up Globe performances of recent times, and watched with the Groundlings, would have experienced the bawdy and the ribald.
Players pretending to piss on the audience, as well as flinging other bodily fluids. Lewd and lascivious crotch-grabbing and pelvic thrusting. Men dressed as women who then pretend to be women disguised as men.
Oh, sorry I forgot. Shakespeare has been cancelled recently in this country for being culturally inappropriate. Then I weep and moan, along with Fez.
Briefs Dirty Laundry does have loose moments and it is not all choreographed down to the last second. That adds to the charm. If you are prudish and easily offended, then you should especially come. And come again.
Rev. Orange Peel (With apologies for all the double-entendres)
Briefs Dirty Laundry is playing at the Q Theatre through 9 December. Get your tickets HERE.
