Messy Friends is a one-hour, Drag and Cabaret Burlesque show, originating from Perth in Western Australia.
So far, so normal for the Edinburgh Fringe. Where things get interesting is with this show’s USP – it’s accompanied by video footage.
In the style of This is Spinal Tap, the members of the artistic collective nominally led by performer and producer Ginava, are interviewed about their history in cabaret.
Performance is so often wrapped up in a sense of self or a quest to discover one’s authentic self that some of these video extracts become incredibly personal.
The format of the production is, broadly, that a piece of video footage introduces us to one of the groups, and then they perform live in the Piccolo Tent in front of the audience.
Ginava themselves begins, with a cabaret piece involving lip syncing and dresses made of x-ray films. They have been working in cabaret for over a decade now, and in common with other performers before them, turned to producing when they found that what they wanted to be involved in was not quite what was available.
Messy Friends then arises from a desire to do something slightly different. The show does feel different from other cabaret and burlesque performances we’ve seen, and it may be that it is the presence of the collective, rather than a formalised hierarchical structure that just makes this show have a different vibe.
It is very hard to define what the difference is – many of the individual performances are very similar to those in other shows. Perhaps, as performer Mary Lamb O’God says, it is something you can’t describe but know when you see it.
Mary discusses the idea and realisation of ‘camp’, but it’s a saying which could and does apply to so much art. Mary subsequently performs a piece around the idea of “Miss Blind Date”, realised as a showgirl who is wearing a blindfold whilst stripping. As she saucily attempts to seduce the stairs or threatens to toss her removed items of clothing to the back of the audience, she seems to find a version of camp, even if she can’t define it.
Before Mary, we’d been treated to a burlesque from Bobby Knox, who performed in a robotic body suit, which slowly peels off to reveal the human underneath. This was actually quite emotive, which is not generally an expected reaction to a burlesque piece.
As you might expect, there’s also some fabulous costuming on display, notably from burlesque acts Skye Scraper and Flynn V. Skye’s swishy green velvet dress provokes envy, and Flynn’s heels defy gravity. They are both polished performers who make the most of the focus the audience gives them, assisted by their video interview segments.
The image of drag has shifted with the explosion of popularity of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. That has led to a specific perception of what drag ‘must be’. But the group has really thought about the ‘fundamental rules’ of drag and how they can challenge them.
If anything, this show presents a shift away from those ‘Ru Paul Rules’ and back to an experimental rawness that does demonstrate an affinity with the ‘original’ drag, which emerged as a challenge to accepted rules of gender conformity and presentation and sought to ask the audience to really think about their reactions to any individual performance.
It’s the mixture of polish, rawness and the video footage that makes this show what it is. It’s surprising, challenging, and very often deeply, deeply funny. Unlike almost any other cabaret show at this year’s Fringe, Messy Friends may be messy at times, but so is life.
In reflecting the human experience in all its complexity, it entertains as it demands that we think about the people behind the performances, and their bravery in inviting us into their world.
Messy Friends continues at Assembly George Square Gardens, Piccolo Tent (Venue 3) at 8.55pm (20:55), until August 25th.
