Reviewed by Tatum Stafford
The famous Briefs Factory troupe are back for this year’s Fringe World – and much like its name, this show brings plenty of bite.
This year, the show took a more ethereal and artistic route, showcasing the amazing vocal stylings of vocalist Sahara Beck, and her fantastic band. Beck accompanied the entire show with a variety of songs, from up-tempo flirty romps to slower, more emotional numbers with her acoustic guitar. She had plenty of stage presence (and some fantastic outfits to boot), so it was a pleasure to be introduced to her talent via this well-established troupe of performers.
Briefs fans will be thrilled that many of their favourite performers are back on stage this year. Director and co-founder of Briefs Factory, Fez Faanana, is in fine form as our emcee for the evening, offering plenty of witty banter and sass. Fez is a phenomenal performer to watch, and their talent was well showcased throughout.
Other Briefs co-founder Mark ‘Captain Kidd’ Winmill exuded glee and cheekiness (particularly in their solo moment involving an oversized cocktail glass…no spoilers), and fellow performers Brett Rosengreen, Louis Biggs and Sam Smith were incredibly captivating to watch throughout the show’s varied setlist.
The tech design for the show is perhaps the best I’ve seen in a Fringe spiegeltent yet. The lighting is incredibly evocative and well-styled to direct audience attention, and the band’s sound was perfectly balanced, helping Sahara’s voice to soar to every corner of the tent to great effect.
As many Perth audiences would be familiar with the so-called Briefs ‘formula’ (this being the 10th year they have performed at Perth Fringe), the show was really refreshing and was the perfect vehicle to introduce Sahara Beck to Perth audiences. There is a bit of a COVID undercurrent that runs throughout the show – it’s directly referenced in a section of Fez’s crowd banter – and this made the show’s themes of connection and celebration really pertinent and poignant.
Briefs are a Perth Fringe staple, and it’s great to see them back in the Pleasure Garden after border closures prevented them from performing last year. I’d implore you to snap up a ticket, while they last!
Image Credit: Lachie Douglas