A bit of a sleeper hit at last year’s festival, Briefs returns bigger, glitzier and filthier at the Udderbelly this summer. It’s one of those shows that completely embodies a party atmosphere so is probably best enjoyed as a starting point for a night out with friends. We are introduced to five muscled specimens of manhood as they camp it up with the opening number which sets things up for the wild and naughty hour that follows.
Hosted by the vodka swilling transvestite, Shivannah, each sequence contains some outstanding circus skills, lots of flesh and lovably camp Australian humour. The music used throughout is a funky mix of lesser known disco classics that add another level of glitz to the outstanding physical work of the performers. There are a number of circus tricks here that you will have no doubt seen before, but probably not done by such an oddball bunch of characters. There are also some truly bizarre moments of comedy here; at one point the oddest member of the troupe does a dance sequence for an audience member that is hilariously cringe-worthy and seemingly never-ending. It’s very funny, very rude and completely outrageous.
Unfortunately it probably won’t be a show for everyone. If you’re not too keen on seeing half naked men flaunting their stuff around the stage then this might not be for you because, stripping it down (no pun intended), chiseled biceps and buns of steel are really the order of the day here. Shivannah is a gloriously messy hostess just like the show itself, it’s hardly the most polished or cleverest cabaret you will see this year but it will certainly be one of the most memorable.
