Briefs’ Dirty Laundry @ Girls School
Thursday, August 12, 2021
The Briefs beauties returned to Perth with a brand new show full of pithy comedy, acrobatics, boylesque, drag and lip sync at its finest, and the absolute best version of a Mariah Carey song to date. So pop your delicates in a bag, turn the cycle to sickening, and prepare to be awash with humour, raunch, and pure joy with Briefs’ Dirty Laundry.
As hostess Shivannah readied the crowd for the night, the idea behind Dirty Laundry was shared. A show born in the days of lockdown, it’s all about sharing stories, time, and space with each other in the flesh and celebrating each other. It is a form a therapy for the performers who have had an undeniably challenging year, and for the audience as they finally had a chance to reconnect with their beloved Briefs family on their 10th anniversary of Perth shows. And nothing prepared the crowd more for this feeling of reconnection than the beautiful acknowledgement of country led by Shivannah; which served as both a reminder of our commonalities and a celebration of our differences.
The night was a perfect blend of heartfelt realities and tongue in cheek silliness courtesy of a troupe that never miss a beat. This was displayed from the opening act, as Shivanna began a seemingly reverent dance performance… and so as not to ruin the surprise, let’s just say as the twist slowly dawned on each crowd member, and the laughter swelled to a roar.
Next up was Broome lad Louis Biggs, who treated the audience to his bouncing balls and receding clothes in the perfect laundromat setup. This was followed up by a stunning gymnastics routine with a comedic twist from Nastia, a super sexy and ferocious flip spectacular from Serenity, and some difficult-to-swallow (in the best way possible) tricks from clowning master Dale Woodridge-Brown. It was all capped off by an intensely emotional aerial number from Thomas Worrell; a mid-show highlight which had the crowd stomping their feet in appreciation.
Kween Kong joined the host on stage for some hilarious unscripted moments for the interval; where they aired audience members’ notes of dirty laundry that had been collected prior to the show. The easy banter between these lovelies made for the perfect mid show breather.
As soon as the classic L7 anthem Shitlist burst forth from the speakers, the action picked right back up with three neon-clad performers grinding, hurling, and kicking their way around the room. Then came the fire, the sizzle, and the burn, as Captain Kidd hula hooped his way across the stage. The full Briefs crew then treated everyone to a very tongue in cheek attempt to show more “artistic merit” in order to help with grant applications… seriously how could you want anything more from this group of beautiful misfits?
Finishing the show with a drag classic was the stunning Kween Kong with their step-perfect cold hearted lip sync offering. It was hard not to dance in your seat to this.
Briefs’ Dirty Laundry is a magical mix of performance styles that’s sure to make you smile, make you laugh, and make you so very glad you didn’t send your laundry out.
LIANA KELLY
Photos by Naomi Reed
