Fringe Review: Briefs

'All male. All Vaudeville. All Trash.'

Happily the show delivers each element it promises in this show of pageantry, performance and faux-burlesque.

Our compere and compulsive-outfit changer Shivannah holds the audience in his/her hand and each bitchy comment is followed by belly laughter at the absurdity of what we're watching. There's oodles of swearing, self-mockery and crude comment without which the show would fall flat on its face.

Beneath the trash and fake eyelashes though, is some real talent. Elements of vaudeville are well-married into the performance which sees plate-spinning and gymnastics through to an exceptionally attractive strong man who lifts fellow performers and bends metal old-school style. Glitzy and gutsy song and dance punctuate each routine and the ariel work from a heavily tattooed man is especially impressive.

Nakedity is integral to the proceedings which is trashy, unapologetic and of course, very funny. There's a distinctly boyish silliness to what our performers mixed up playfully with feather dancing and other unmanly acts. They work filthily together, slapping, gesticulating and harassing one another with their genitalia and there's an atmosphere of pure enjoyment about what is taking place before us.

Briefs is explosive and while there's nothing meaningful about what these guys are trying to achieve, they deliver an hour of fantastic entertainment, comedy and talent.

4 stars