By Mama Natalia
For almost as long as burlesque and drag revival artists have graced stages in Australia and beyond, there has been Briefs. Whispered about in awe within backstage dressing rooms for almost two decades, casually mentioned as the ‘who’s who’ of fringe arts for as long as post-modern art was fringey, cackled over in delight during drunken after-party escapades and retellings of wholesome performance experiences…Briefs Factory International and its co-creators Fez Faanana and Mark ‘Captain Kidd’ Winmill have already (and well-deservedly) gone down in our history as some of the most fabulous, innovative, talented, respected and ground-breaking artistes the country has ever had the honor of hosting. “And they’re super beautiful and lovely boys, too…”- a direct quite from one Foxtrot India, burlesque goddess, made to me over 15 years ago in one such reverent retelling of Briefs’ exploits. The magnitude of the co-creators’ influence and impact on the fringe arts scenes in Australia (and worldwide) cannot be overstated, having been the inspiration for many a new artiste and artistic project since their humble beginnings.
Briefs’ newest pièce de résistance, Bite Club: 2nd Serve, graces the Arts Centre Melbourne stage for a devastatingly limited season. The camp crew are once again joined in their exalted excellence by the amazingly arresting Sahara Beck, for an evening of live band, cabaret, drag, circus and burlesque artistry.
And artistry does not even begin to define the magic the audiences are treated to onstage.
There are certain shows that, when they flitter briefly into public view and consciousness, carry with them not only a fine collection of well-trained and practiced talent, but the rumblings of cultural zeitgeist. Taking in the vast assortment of audience members awaiting the performance – a veritable mishmash of queers, queens, conservatives, fellow performers, retirees, arts patrons, girls’ night outers – one would be hard pressed not to feel the electrifying zing of a favorable future in the air. Inclusivity was the order of the evening, both on and off the stage, and a more diverse range of theatregoers I’ve not seen in a while.
Sprinkled throughout the auditorium in the pre-show, the ‘Briefs Boys’ themselves sang for their supper (or more accurately charmed and flirted their audience into buying raffle tickets for “some prize…you’ll love it”), setting the mood for a more immersive show from the get-go, unapologetically parading their scantily clad and criminally toned forms throughout the sea of patrons as we found our seats. The message was clear: you are in our world now, and we would very much like you to belong.
Shivannah (Fez Faanana), our charming gender-juggling host and MC for the evening led the charge at curtains up, drawing the room together in conspiratorial glee as each act and artist was introduced. An unobtrusive and understated compere, somehow managing to be both imposing and utterly enchanting at the same time (no mean feat for an extremely tall Samoan and ‘lovechild of the bearded lady and a ringmaster’), Shivannah brought a touch of gentleness to the whole affair – her reverent love-in fangirling over songstress Sahara Beck and the entire Briefs ensemble a testament not only to her passion for fellow performers, but a reflection of what masculinity untainted by society’s toxic ideals could (and arguably should) be. My only criticism of her would be that she did not give herself nearly enough of the credit that she well deserved, often choosing to shift the focus onto the magnificence of her cohort (who were by no means less deserving). While it was a refreshing change from the myriad of self-aggrandizing and arrogant MC’s that are a dime a dozen in this business, it sometimes felt that Shivannah was somewhat uncomfortable with allowing herself to receive the accolades that the audience were all too willing to heap onto her. I hope this was just a character quirk, because if there is anyone who deserves props for their achievements, it’s Fez Faanana.
The object of the Briefs Boys undying adulation, singer Sahara Beck, was a delightful revelation. With a sultry surreal voice sitting somewhere between Florence Welch and Twin Peaks’ Julee Cruise, she effortlessly carried the weight of the show’s audio, perfectly complimenting each performance in a way that enhanced every aspect without overshadowing it. Her original songs, varying in mood and message, were cleverly curated to fit the action, ranging from the fun and quirky to the haunting as the need arose. A highly skilled and engaging performer, Beck managed to fill the stage with her presence despite being, as Shivannah cheekily pointed out, “the size of my thigh.” Her supporting players and bandmates, including her own brother Ocean, were equally entertaining (and, I might add, looked fabulous in their fancy frocks). Their interplay with both Beck and the Briefs ensemble offered some charming (and highly amusing) moments over the course of the show.
As for the Briefs Boys themselves, they were sublime in their chosen artistic specialties. Whether in clowning and sideshow (Dale Woodbridge-Brown), drag and acrobatics (Nastia, Serenity and Louis Biggs), some of the most perfect technical aerial I have ever seen (Thomas Worrell), or mesmerizing movement and dance (Brett Rosengreen – you stole my heart), each cast member not only understood the assignment, but set a precedent for it on the Arts Centre stage that many would be hard-pressed to outdo. Every piece was delivered to perfection, every artist engaging, every interaction between the players serving only to enhance the palpable camaraderie. Captain Kidd (Mark Winmill), reminding us why they call him the King of Burlesque, took us into interval with a quintessential trapeze and tease piece that left many an audience member moist, and none of us were sorry for it.
This would have been enough for most, but the show also delivered one of the most charming audience participation segments I’ve seen in a long time, and Fez Faanana’s personally curated Acknowledgement of Country was both poignant and appreciated at the outset.
In a world teetering on the edge of cultural revolution, with the pendulum of political correctness swinging almost violently between what was and what should be, Briefs Bite Club: 2nd Serve featuring Sahara Beck is a gorgeous and timely reminder of the wonderfully inclusive and collaborative artistic world we could be living in if allowed the chance. Briefs Factory International once again brings ideas of conventional and conservative masculinity to its knees, delivering a coup de gras to prejudice and pearl-clutching with a beautifully cheeky, mischievously marvelous and magically entertaining piece of theatre. Five stars is simply not enough for the momentous magnitude of what these artists have achieved onstage, and we as Australians should be grateful not only for their contribution to the arts in this country, but for the simple fact that they exist among us at all.
Images Lachie Douglas
