MICF 2018 review: Boylesque stars run rings around circus, drag

COMEDY FESTIVAL
BRIEFS: THE SECOND COMING ★★★★
The Famous Spiegeltent, until April 22

Briefs makes a return to Melbourne with its inimitable brand of boylesque, circus and drag artistry, and looks set to be as popular as ever.

The boys open with an exquisite, Vegas-style fan dance. I mean, the props alone probably wiped out several subspecies of ostrich, but it’s what’s behind the feathers that counts. Their elegant striptease, performed in unison, leaves no eye short of candy.

Circus routines are peppered throughout. There’s tumbling and acrobalance, though it’s the aerialism that stands out: mesmerising acts of contortion on an aerial hoop, or a static trapeze routine – above a bath, no less – that’s guaranteed to moisten the audience.

The drag is full of inventive hilarity: one sequence featuring queens and their pooches works in acrobatic hoop-jumping and physical comedy. It’s a winning entry into RuPaul’s Drag Race that veers into Pink Flamingos terrain, so have your sick-bag handy.

A frivolous, erotic and rather revealing evening of entertainment.