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

Fringe Review: Swamp Juice

DIY Puppetry fun about the perils of life in a swamp

The stage is awash with props, resembling something of a well-loved kid's dress-up room. Our performer shuffles on stage and speaks in a made-up language as he proudly gesticulates his way through some home-made props and lighting equipment.
Swamp Juice is quirky, bizarre and impressive. Shadow puppetry and physical theatre tell the story of a mean old man who visits a swamp and antagonises the inhabitants. Narration alternates between various characters made from gloves, tinsel and card (complete with moving parts) who are projected onto a screen.
Audience interaction is both oddly and cleverly incorporated into the story but this has its downfalls. The numerous, often ambitious, techniques require some faffing about both on and off stage and while the audience is curious as to where it's going, the preamble can feel overlong and at times begins to eat into the excitement of the story.
The 3D finale is wildly creative and our performer literally shows no sense of boundaries with his work. Swamp Juice is ambitious and funny and the weaker transitional areas of the performance ought to be forgiven for the gutsy show as a whole.
With this performance Jeff Achtem has proven himself to be an extraordinarily skilled storyteller and animator. Though the technical aspects of his performance are at times, somewhat clunky, he is energetic and brave and will doubtlessly continue to look for ways to not only entertain an audience but tell his delightful stories.

4 stars