What you do get when you mix 'Cirque du Soleil' with 'Ru Paul's Drag Race'? A show-stopping, jaw (and pant) dropping all-male burlesque troupe in 'Briefs'.
Returning to Brisbane with their international hit – 'Briefs: The Second Coming!' – the vaudeville brat-pack are fresh off an international tour and back to their humble origins of late-night speakeasies and renegade circus cabarets. Their too-close-for-comfort yoyo tricks, valiant aerial acrobatics, irreverent interludes and ferocious fan fare are superbly show-stopping, drag artistry.
Playing as part of the Brisbane Powerhouse's 'Wonderland' festival, 'Briefs' is a madcap safari through extravagant birdbath boylesque. A sharpshooting cabaret, their high-flying circus bandits and savage gender offenders slam together a riotous evening of intoxication physicality, unexpected stumbles, gob-smacking comedy and ridiculous showmanship.
The cast of 'Briefs' include the love child of the Ringmaster and Bearded Lady Shivannah (Fez Fa’anana), Australia’s boylesque bandit and circus brat Captain Kidd (Las Vegas’ 2011 'King of Burlesque'), Aussie circus luminary Ben Lewis, avant-garde glamour puss Dallas Dellaforce, fresh-faced circus virtuoso Louis Biggs and Brooklyn Zoo escapee The Evil Hate Monkey (Las Vegas’ 2010 'King of Burlesque').
Fez Fa'anana enlightens us on the ballsy burlesque of 'Briefs' and their second coming:
Describe this production in a sentence?'Briefs: The Second Coming!' is a car accident of circus, drag, burlesque, comedy and theatrics glitter bombed with skill, showmanship and satire.
Your fav scene in the show and why?
I love the group numbers. I love the opening group fan dance but I think my favourite is the ridiculous hoop diving dog/drag group act.
Fill in the blanks: 'Briefs: The Second Coming!' will … entertain … and leaves you … pleasantly traumatised … but won't … apologise … and is surprisingly … clever.
Have you had a pleasure of meeting Ru Paul? / What would you say to Ru Paul should she be at your show one day?
No I haven't met Ru Paul. I think I would ask her if she was in the right show and then I would ask her if she could pick my jaw up.
One fashion accessory every man pretending to be a woman needs?
LASHES!
What trick are you most proud of nailing?
There are so many different types of tricks in the show. Acrobatic tricks, aerial tricks, costume tricks, magic tricks, tranny tricks, dodgy tricks and dirty tricks.
Most embarrassing moment?
Not sure if this is the most embarrassing but it's my most recent. I did a quick change into a sequence dress and went back on stage to MC with a skanky sock attached to the back of my dress. Hotness!
If there was a movie based on your life, who would play you and what characteristics would they have to channel?
I think I would like to see Sally Field play me in a movie because I would like to see how she would interpret playing the role of a bearded Samoan/Australian drag performer, dancer, creative director, MC and stage mum from Ipswich. I think Sally would need to channel what ever she channeled in 'Steal Magnolias'.
What do you want audiences to say as they leave?
I love overhearing peoples conversations about what they loved or what they wanted to see more of or what they were confused about or who they loved the most. I think it's awesome if the audience at least say something. I just hope people enjoy the escapism that the show invites them into.
And what will you be saying to yourself on opening night?
I can't believe we made this show here at the Brisbane Powerhouse just over a year and a half ago. We have done some serious touring since making this show so it feels special to come full circle back to where 'The Second Coming!' started.
Anything else readers should know? We can't wait to do the show with a home ground advantage. We are doing the biggest and fanciest version of the show for this home coming season.
