The WOW Show: In Search of the Hope Brigade | WOW (Women of the World) Australia
Image: Brisbane Festival
Sometimes hope is found in the strangest places and sometimes it isn’t really found at all. To be honest, I struggled with how to review this show. I know it was produced with the best of intentions with its concept, guests and hosting, but it never quite hit the mark of being an effective political show. WOW stands for Women of the World and is currently on an Australian tour talking about finding hope, feminism and women’s stories. It’s styled in a talk show format that reminded me of daytime television in the 90’s, with guests brought out one by one and multiple audience interaction segments. Hosted by Jude Kelly, a prominent British theatre director and activist, the show started slowly for the first half hour, with audience members encouraged to share stories about dreams, disillusionment and men behaving poorly.
Jude Kelly was charming and active, a star jumping comedienne, but also seemed to feel the challenge of speaking to a younger audience, which I would include myself in. There was somewhat of a struggle to bridge age gaps, with many references seeming outdated for an audience under 40. My mother also attended the same show and as a baby boomer, she enjoyed the communal nature of the show and its style of comedy and plain speaking more than I did.
Things improved when, during a later audience interaction segment, Kelly asked women about unfulfilled dreams and about their options and the other audience members gave support and comfort to each other. That was a wonderful moment. However, the audience was extensively photographed and filmed, and I found the camera and filming both distracting and invasive as someone who doesn’t enjoy being photographed. There was no ability to consent or withdraw consent in this process.
Kelly’s strength was her subtle inclusion of intersectionality without the disingenuousness of virtue signalling. She was open minded and gently teasing of her audience and understood how confronting public speaking can be for people, while still encouraging the crowd to share and enjoy. Once her guests came out the show was more active and engaging. These included Huda the Goddess, a Sudanese Muslim poet and activist. She was a true highlight; her charisma and stories were full of passion and wisdom, and her spoken poetry enlivened the room. Then came Ali France, a Paralympian, disability rights activist and now member for Dickenson, and playwright and librettist Suzie Miller. These women shared stories of their lives, careers and struggles as women in their fields.
The questions asked of these women, who are champions in their respective arenas, were charming, but also quite basic; seemingly designed not to offend anyone in the audience. I found myself wanting more from the experience. However, I also appreciate I may not be the intended audience. As the discussions ranged from mistreatment in the face of disability, anti-blackness and the struggle to include women’s AFL as a legitimate sport in the Australian cultural lexicon I found myself wondering- where is the hope? And what is the call to action? At the end of the show, Kelly said we were the hope, the ones who had chosen to attend this show, and we should talk to people in our lives about feminism. It seemed vague, lacking a concrete call to action that people haven’t heard before.
Overall, The WOW Show: Searching for the Hope Brigade was a well-structured, organised, and slickly-run show with a very famous host. It has such potential to be a true actionable starting point for many women who have felt the difficulties of systemic sexism and gender violence, and who need an accessible entry point to do more. There were many who wanted to enact change and bring hope to others in the audience, but WOW would need to be less afraid of its own shadow—and of offending people—to realise that journey.
The WOW Show: In Search of the Hope Brigade played at QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre on Sunday 14th of September 2025.
