'Size Queens' is the premiere Queensland season from Baby Got Back (BGB), an all-girl cast of dancers, comedians, strippers, showgirls, puppeteers, and burlesque artists.
It's uninhibited and unfiltered, showcasing flesh, sex, profanity, and comedy in a psychosexual adventure not for the faint-of-heart.'Size Queens' has sold out in Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne. Finally, Brisbane will get a real taste for the socio-political, salacious ceremony when Baby Got Back arrive as part of Wonderland Festival, taking over Brisbane Powerhouse in November/December.
Here, Baby Got Back Director Vesper White tells us what to expect.
What makes the best performance of 'Size Queens'?
BGB has a history of delivering show-stopping moments: We’ve presented seven-person nude jump-rope spectacles, streamed bubbles from our nether-regions, set records for donut-scoffing, invited the audience to paint our bodies. . . It’s been an ongoing experimental journey to find that sweet-spot between stripping, comedy, and performance art. The centrepiece of 'Size Queens' is definitely our interpretation of a femme strip club, affectionately dubbed Club Feral – but the Feral Pussy dancers aren’t what you’d expect. It’s exotic on a whole new level.
What do you think is the appeal of a show like this?
BGB and 'Size Queens' has huge appeal to an audience hungry for something truly wild, funny, and thoughtful. It’s sex and brain food in one big mouthful. I think discerning audiences are looking for something a little left-of-centre, something original.
Tell me a bit about your perception of feminism in 2019.
Feminism seems to be one of those tags that makes mainstream punters shy away from a show. We do our best to wear it proudly – we’re committed to showcasing diverse bodies and voices where we can, and perform interpretations of our experiences as female-identifying bods navigating the world, in funny and subversive ways. But even if you nail a five-star review in the leading state newspaper at one of the largest fringe festivals in the world, there’s still going to be some guy who takes your flyer and says, “It’s not that feminist sh.t I saw in the paper, is it?”
What is the biggest misconception about feminism?
A prevailing misconception about modern feminism is that it’s perpetually angry and sexless. And while rage can be provocative when harnessed creatively, feminist performance is actually exceptionally joyful, playful, hopeful, and riotously entertaining. Women having agency over their stories and expressing their authentic selves can be grounded deep in sexuality and sensual play. Unearthing these ancient performative goddesses long buried by the patriarchal powers that be is an exciting and vital era for live art.
How do you want your audiences to feel/what do you want them to be thinking about once they've left 'Size Queens'?
When an audience walks out of 'Size Queens', we want them to feel a little lighter. That a part of them was seen, that some of their story was shared that night. That their ribs are sore from laughing, that their clothes are wet from spitting out their drink in surprised delight, that their loins are tingling from feeling turned on by the bright neon world of BGB.
What have been some of the challenges you've faced putting the show together?
The greatest challenge this year has been fighting online censorship to promote the show. Producers of adult content or those that present female-identifying bodies are currently gagged from reaching you on social media, so we rely heavily on word of mouth to get the word out about our little nude riot! Tell a friend!
And how about some of the rewards?
Meeting people after the show who have loved 'Size Queens' and watching them buzz away into the warm summer night with a new energy about them is immensely rewarding. Also – handing over a stack of tipping dollars to a pair of giggling Fringe-going grandmothers and teaching them how to make it rain on an exotic dancer is an experience I’ll not soon forget.
