Briefs: The Works is playing at Melbourne’s Spiegel Haus until October 18. More information and tickets via spiegelhausmelb.com.
Combining dazzling drag, hilarious comedy, catchy sing-alongs, jaw dropping circus acts and seductive burlesque, it’s a cheeky show not for the prudish or soft hearted.
Fez Faanana is lively as host, whose self-deprecating and sarcastic humour warmed up the slightly reserved and apprehensive crowd.
The show is well structured, flowing smoothly from Diesel Darling’s daring fire act, Nastia’s stunning acrobatics and soaring aerial work from Benjamin Butterfly, Amy Lee and Dylan Rodriquez. Rowan Thomas commands the giant metal wheel, while Jace Gonçalves dazzles with hoops and skipping rope.
I especially enjoyed the group numbers, with the feathered opening number being incredibly strong. The costumes too are striking… even though they don’t stay on for long.
Audience participation is another of the show’s greatest strengths. Notably when the lucky raffle ticket winner was brought on stage and we laughed alongside her as the performers gave her a prize she won’t soon forget. Although the show could use more of these wild and unpredictable moments.
My biggest nitpick is in the staging and the inability to always see what’s happening depending on where you’re seated. And while fortunately most of the action plays out on stage, I’ve seen other shows who have better utilised Spiegel Haus’s unique structural design.
So much is lost if you’re stuck behind a pole or tall heads when the performers are moving around, so tiny tweaks would make for a better overall viewing experience. I only caught a glimpse of a performer sitting on an audience member’s lap and I couldn’t help but feel like I missed out on many a joke.
While Briefs wasn’t as polished as expected, there’s a reason the show has stuck around for 18 years. It’s bright, bold and celebrates freedom, self-expression and the human form in a pushing boundaries and unapologetic kind of way.
3.5/5 STARS
Read our previous review of Briefs: The Works here.
/ Photos supplied: Benjamin Cross
