“Hands down the craziest things I’ve ever done for Strut & Fret.” Spencer Novich on Late Night Vice

Images supplied by BrisFest

Late Night Vice is Strut & Fret’s latest Brisbane Festival offering. Billed as a debauched supper club for the dangerously curious, the company has cloaked the show in mystery - no phones, no cameras…no reviewers. In lieu of a Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane review of the show, I sat down with Spencer Novich, a performer in Late Night Vice and a long time collaborator with Strut & Fret. 

Spencer describes the show as an immersive club/show experience. Audiences will be treated to multiple sets of performances throughout the evening, and in between they’ll be able to have a moment to digest it with their neighbours, grab a drink of the West End Electric’s well curated bar, and get ready for another surprise. 

Late Night Vice has been open for a week, and I’ve seen literally nothing online. Mobile phones are banned within the space, and by having this ban, performers are much more willing to push the boundaries of what they do on stage. Spencer spoke with me about how having no recordings allows both the audience and performers to live in the moment: 

“When you don't allow [phones] suddenly an audience is more engaged. They're less self-conscious and artists are given sort of a pass to do things that they normally wouldn't feel comfortable doing otherwise if it was recorded…that sort of opened the door for us to come up with the craziest things we would feel comfortable doing on stage knowing that there won't be a trace of evidence of it leaked to the public.”

Brisbane audiences may recognise Spencer from Blanc de Blanc (2016), Funhouse (2017), and Fear & Delight (2015). When asked what keeps him coming back to working with Strut & Fret, Spencer speaks of the artistic freedom that comes with working with the company. 

“I think that Scott (the director) in particular gives such incredible freedom to the artists and creatives that he works with and never rejects an idea no matter how crazy it is [and for Vice] it's that experience tenfold. The things we're doing in this show are hands down the craziest things I’ve ever done for Strut & Fret.” 

Spencer has worked with the company on stage and in off stage roles, and for Late Night Vice you can catch him as a performer. The creative vision for this show is to push boundaries and bring something fresh to Brisbane audiences, although he is understandably tight-lipped about exactly what he is doing on stage. 

“You will see things that you have never seen before…[the show] is a nice combination where we go from high skill artistry into one of the filthiest things you could ever see in your life…and that's sort of a fun switch to go between the two. Audiences should be ready to be a part of something, and the ideal audience member is one who is ready to leave their reservations at the door. The perfect audience member is somebody who's willing to party and go along for the ride…you have to be willing to be engaged and be a part of the action and it's a little scary and dangerous. But people have been getting into it.” 

Images supplied by BrisFest

The ticketing site also lists a dress code of black tie or all black with bonus points for bold bling, and Spencer says audiences have been getting into it and dressing up for the event: 

“Everyone has been looking incredible and it changes the complete vibe of the evening…suddenly you feel like you're in this exclusive underground event that’s like the party you've always wanted to be invited to. There's something magical about everybody really dressed up and then something filthy happening on stage. It feels like a very classy environment where crazy things can happen. It keeps people in the moment. I think there are lots of shows, especially in the age of the influencer, there are lots of shows where people are watching it through their phone and they're almost more concerned with dressing up to be seen, whereas here it's dressing up to be a part of something special.” 

Spencer is no stranger to Brisbane Festival. He first performed in the festival in Strut and Fret’s Fear & Delight (2015), and has also worked on stage and off in various Strut & Fret Brisbane Festival shows (Blanc de Blanc, Blanc de Blanc Encore, Funhouse, Life The Show, The Party). When asked about what excites him in this year's program, Spencer’s pick is local Brisbane legend Leah Shelton’s Batshit (running 10-13 September at the Powerhouse). Spencer first worked with Leah in Vegas back before his first show with Strut & Fret, and is excited to see this solo work as, “Everybody I've talked to has enjoyed it.”

Catch Spencer Novich performing in Late Night Vice every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Brisbane Festival (And catch his solo show, Chatter, September 23-27). Tickets are selling fast, with some nights already sold out. Book quickly to secure your tickets to this exclusive, evidence free evening of shocking performance and outrageous fun.