That said, the play isn’t heavy – it’s more a fun, frothy and cheeky bit o’ theatre, albeit with contemporary relevance. “This is a show that you can go along to for pure entertainment purposes or you can dig for a message,” says FLEAQ’s director Nathanael Cooper. “It really is about sisterhood and friendship and standing up for each other no matter what. It’s also about creating your own family – you’re born with a family or you can create it through community. You’re not supposed to come away having learned something, the intention is to have you come away laughing.”
The play has managed to make its way to Fringe from Chicago and New York via Brisbane. “It’s the natural tour path,” Cooper jokes. Sean Bryan – the show’s co-producer from the original Brisvegas season – saw the play in Chicago and was convinced of the necessity to bring it to Australia. FLEAQ’s writers Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood left Bryan and Cooper to their own devices with the script, but the play was gold so they didn’t mess with it in the slightest. Set in the States, there’s a lot of American jingo, but no jokes an Aussie audience won’t grasp.
Vintage aficionados with a flair for naughtiness will get a kick out of the production too. FLEAQ’s team has gone out of its way to make it period authentic. All of the costumes are original fifties frocks, and the set was constructed after hours were spent poring over fifties knitting patterns for design inspiration.
Jam packed with innuendo, the play reveals some juicy secrets. Cooper is coy as to what’s confessed, but says the name of the play is a big fat clue. He’s also prepared to divulge that audience members will be welcomed by two of the cast upon entry and given a girl’s name tag – even the fellas – to set the tone. What follows is silliness and hilarity and a wee bit of audience participation; ironic because Cooper fucking hates audience participation.
“I have a special face if anyone approaches me and tries to make me do anything. I’ve honed it over the years to make sure no one speaks to me or touches me. My friends and colleagues all know how much I hate audience participation, so when they found out I was directing a show involving audience participation people were shocked. It’s done in a way that’s not threatening at all though. It’s not embarrassing. We’ve tackled it in a very gentle way and if I can endure it, then anyone can.”
BY MEG CRAWFORD
Venue: Fringe Hub: Lithuanian Club – Main Theatre
Dates: September 24 – October 1(except Monday)
Times: 6.45pm (Sunday 5.45pm)
Tickets: $27 – $33.50
