Dangerous Goods | Polytoxic
If you want to see a subversively hot, femme-fuelled show full of hot babes smashing the patriarchy, go see Dangerous Goods at QPAC. It’s one of the best shows I have seen. Bonus is, there'll be various guest artists throughout this season so no two shows will be the same. You’ve got another three weeks to see this unmissable show.
Twisted Christmas | GALORE! Presents
We’re guided through this seasonal smorgasbord by our elven MC, Maddy – a staunch unionist direct from the North Pole who’s (1) truly and deeply jaded by capitalism’s co-option of the holiday and (2) concerningly quick to guarantee we’re all on the naughty list this year.
Spooktacular | Brisbaret
The night’s hosts Sophie Banister and Thien Pham have been running this event for three years now and so know their comedic style and their audience very well, and it shows.
Siva Mai Club | District41 & Oceanik Village
Siva Mai Club does not just speak to Pasifika and Indigenous people, no matter your cultural backgrounds, it is special to be a part of that communion in that 75 mins with a dash of island style humour.
Bumhole Brunch | Gogo Bumhole, Adrian te Veluwe and The Burrow
On the first Sunday morning of every month at The Burrow in West End rising drag star (or drag gremlin as they’d like to call themself) GoGo Bumhole brings the drag brunch back its underground, community roots. Backed by a cavalcade of Meanjin’s finest cabaret performers, it’s an infectious morning of drinks, feasting, entertainment and dare I say community that’s bound to become a sold-out staple for those in the know.
Rough, Red and Raw | Architects of Sound
As architects of sound, they’re far more important, far more conceptually insightful and artistically refined, percipient guardians of the zeitgeist. They are a whole new level of artiste, and we mere mortals cannot possibly comprehend their brilliance. With a certain vivacity, an ironic holier-than-thou attitude and so much lycra, the group expertly poke fun at influencer culture. In fact, I was just thinking to myself how brilliantly they embodied the wankiness so often found in the art world when they revealed the title of their latest album: “Art Fap”. Perfect.
Brisbaret at Queensland Cabaret Festival
I can see why Brisbaret is a popular feature in the Brisbane arts scene, as a firmly local platform for a wide variety of music, comedy, drag, and cabaret artists. Variety is a tried and tested format—at its finest when hosted by talented MC’s, who program an eclectic collection of invited artists and keep the evening on track.
The Wharf Revue: Looking for Albanese | Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott
The Wharf Revue is an irreverent adventure combining popular culture, cabaret and politics cleverly executed just as much as Scomo ruled the nation singlehandedly and got away with it till he didn’t. This show is just as ambitious as Clive Palmer spending $123 million to win one seat to open another iron ore mine. With such a huge field of contenders to choose from, this show delivers one punch line after the other, meticulously crafted to squeeze out every climate denying, debt defying, corrupted and lying gag possible.
"It shows how much views are changing on sexuality." The cast of Blush on making a 'sexy adult circus' more subversive & inclusive
Some of the reviews we received had a bit of a stab at the male nudity, but not the female nudity, because Australian audiences especially are very used to women being sexualized in that way… And the success of the show sort of shows how much people are changing, like how much views are changing on sexuality.
Blush | Highwire Entertainment
This isn't one of the typical cabarets that tries to sell sexy as performers brushing past each other, femme figures as objects and same-sex desire as queer baiting. Blush makes the titillation of such shows seem like childhood flights of fancy. There is something truly for everyone here, with each performance celebrating love, lust, passion and desire in various forms.
Babushka Regifted | Babushka
Yet, underneath all the laughter, Babushka Regifted included a lot of great social commentary. They delved into love, despair, poverty, consent (sitting on Santa’s lap), and particularly feminism. Some memorable quotes include “a woman’s duty should not be stuck in kitchen”, “ovaries should not be stuck in the oven”, singing ‘We Three Queens’ instead of ‘We Three Kings’ following the Star, and singing from the ‘Hyrrs’ (Her) book instead of ‘Hymm’ (Him) book.
A Very Naughty Christmas | Woodward Productions
This is a clever, funny, adults-only burlesque-meets-musical-theatre. It isn’t high art, it won’t test your powers of concentration, and it’s probably not going to inspire social action—but it gets 5-stars from me. Sometimes we just need an enjoyable night out.
In Your Dreams | Polytoxic
It is not often that I get the first line of my review handed to me during a performance. According to Polytoxic, my review should start with “five stars and checking [my] privilege”. We don’t do star ratings at Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane, but I’ll happily make an exception for Polytoxic’s new work, In Your Dreams. This show promises a line-up of glass-ceiling smashing, system dismantling, genderqueer, fiercely intersectional artists, and delivers spectacularly on this promise.
Poncho: Keep It Up! | Dani Cabs
There’s an undercurrent of struggle in Poncho, of wrestling with shame, of being emotionally cauterised by a culture that punishes any deviation to the rigid, limiting forms of male connection and expression that patriarchy demands. But Cabs has an innate talent for balancing tension and levity, which he deployed masterfully during the piñata sequence towards the end. He brought many in the audience to tears (myself included), and then, moments later, had us laughing again.
Not for ... Exposure | Mad Dance House
I’m just beginning to understand the immense dance talent that’s on offer in Meanjin and I think there are many lovers of live performance like me who are finally starting to wake up to the calibre of the street performers based in our town.
The House | The House of Alexander
The House to me spoke to Pasifika and Asian communities and the need for the creation of contemporary rituals, spaces and practice. Culture is a living thing. We need to evolve with the time and the needs of our people. In The House their cultural pride is on their sleeves and smiles, even from members who have been ousted by their families, still respectful of their roots. Work like this gives permission for all diaspora queer folk to know and believe that culture, gender and sexuality need not be mutually exclusive and can exist together in harmony, even in excellence.
Sweatshop | Briefs Factory
A lot of the joy of Sweatshop is how engaged the performers are with the audience. Requests for cheers are met with enthusiasm from a crowd that is on their side from the moment they step on stage. This is the magic of Briefs: a group of performers doing unconventional things, presenting brightly and boldly to a room of people who are 100% there for every moment of it.
Friends of Dorothy | Ghostlight Theatre Co.
What I loved the most about the show wasn’t the musical performances; it was that it didn’t stray away from the dark, oppressive and heartbreaking aspects of queer history and of identifying as queer even in our contemporary society. After Farmer-Trickett shared a personal story about a queer friend they had lost to suicide, there was a minute of silence held to remember all of those from the queer community who are no longer with us, which was such a generous way to reflect.
7 Mortal Sins | Glitter Martini
On a drizzly Saturday night, I found myself in a stunning church with steep gabled roof, stained glass windows and brickwork that is 119 years old, celebrating what it is to be mortal. And what better way to do it, than with an Atonement for our sins, Glitter Martini style? I’m talking a freestanding aerial rig center stage. Circus, burlesque, sideshow, and even a little magic. And seven sinfully good acts, administered by one very captivating master of Ceremonies, Priest Benedict.
The Wynter of Our Disco Tent | Funny Mummies
The duo used real-life teenage diary entries to inspire a score of original 80’s pop tunes as lyrically witty as they were melodic. The musical numbers, and the show as a whole, teetered experterly on this line of self-aware cringe. Which, for an audience whose entry was more teens-at-an-80s-concert than stand-up goers, seemed like the perfect fit.