Playing at the Spiegel Haus Melbourne until April 19. Tickets and more information at spiegelhausmelb.com/events/briefstheworks
Quite possibly the raunchiest show you could find at this year’s comedy festival, Briefs: The Works is an exhilarating 90 minutes spent in the company of a wild bunch of performers, who offer up an outrageous show full of camp, glitz and spectacle.
The Briefs ensemble has made a reputation for themselves as offering up A-grade entertainment with their adults only circus, and their current show, running as part of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, is a raucous, rambunctious delight.
Taking place under the wonderful big top of Melbourne’s coolest new venue, the Spiegel Haus, Briefs: The Works is a classic cabaret given a modern-day twist, incorporating drag acts, lip sync routines, acrobatics, striptease and a good healthy dose of comedy.
Led by the sure hand of the show’s MC, Shivannah (aka Fez Faanana), who is a charismatic, no-nonsense tour-de-force, making plenty of self-deprecating jokes about him-herself (Shivannah refers as both throughout) and not afraid to rile up the audience with some good-natured jibes.
Shivannah leads an all-star troupe of performers, most notably Hollywould Star, a supremely talented songstress who belted out two numbers on the night, including a powerful rendition of the Kylie Minogue hit Confide in Me.
There’s also a memorable hula hoop performance which always goes down a treat, as well as a couple of death-defying acrobatic routines which wowed the crowd. The song choices were fascinating, incorporating diverse artists such as Rob Zombie and INXS as the soundtrack to some of the most spectacular dance performances.
A wind machine and treadmill are also put to stunning use in the opening number of act two, and it should be said that the actual stage the Briefs crew are performing on is quite small, but the cast pulled off a complicated and highly-choreographed show without a single fault, a testament to their on-stage chemistry and professionalism.
If I had one small criticism it would be that the lighting used during a couple of performances was quite harsh and I was forced to close my eyes or look away and missed an entire segment of the show due to the harsh red and blue lighting used. It was only for a few short moments of the show but I noticed a few audience members also having to look away. A minor criticism but certainly softening the lighting during those moments might make for a more pleasant experience for audiences.
I won’t spoil the finale but let’s just say the front rows weren’t handed umbrellas and ponchos for nothing, as performer Mark “Captain Kidd” Winmill capped off the night with a truly memorable and unique closing act.
The show’s 10pm timeslot (with an earlier 8pm starting time on Sundays) is an ideal hour for the show’s shenanigans, a perfectly wild late-night capper to some of the festival’s more traditional stand up comedy offerings.
Briefs: The Works is truly a visceral and memorable excursion into the cabaret world, made extra memorable by being guided through all of this wonderful on-stage madness by Savannah and his-her team of supremely talented artists.
4/5 Stars
Image provided – Sean Breadsell
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 