Brisbaret
We at Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane love a good cabaret show / scratch night. There’s nothing like watching performers test and play with their works in front of a live audience; that interplay with the audience is when a work truly comes alive. I love the nervous anticipation that comes from watching new, untested works for that the possibility of seeing a spark of magic or absolute car crash unfurl before me.
Over the last very years, Brissy performers and producers have embraced the mission of creating as many stages for live performances as possible. Ranging from genre specific themed nights like Miss BB Le Buff’s regular burlesque night, ‘Cabberet’ and local storyteller showcase, ‘For the Record’ to truly random and diverse cabarets like ‘Wham Bam Cabaret Slam’ and ‘Dionysus’, if you’ve got an act,or just want to see a whole bunch of them, Brisbane’s got many a stage for you.
Brisbaret added another one to the mix in 2020, with the aim to provide a regular platform in Brisbane for local artists to test out new material. Each month creator Sophie Banister and co-host and frequent collaborator Thien Pham bring together five diverse local ‘brislebrities’ to show us their art and what they do best.
The artists for April 2021’s Brisbaret were a truly random assortment of local performers. Merinda Dias-Jayasinha started the show crooning some good old-fashioned jazz standards, ably backed by Meg Burstow on keys. Kalpana Prasad from Bhangra United followed with an energetic demonstration of Bhangra dance, a style of folk dance from Punjab. Local comedian Garth Remington launched his campaign for PM with a truly unique policy platform. Singer, songwriter Alex Lamont stole the show singing their original songs of young love and being cock-blocked by corona with buckets of charisma and a truly infectious energy. Drag artist The Silver Stone wrapped it up with an ode to Gaga and being on the front cover of The West End Magazine.
April’s Brisbaret highlighted that both a beauty and challenge of a variety cabaret shows can be the randomness of the line-up. The beauty is that you’re bound to see something new and fresh, with at least one performer doing their thing in a genre you’re not familiar with. The challenge is that the tone of the night can sometimes feel like you’re a hummingbird dropped into a flower shop - It’s bright, dazzling and a little overwhelming, each flower you sample is completely different; sometimes it’s oh so tasty and nourishing, other times you don’t quite get your fill, but boy are you in for a ride. If I could recommend anything to the team it would be to consider theming each night to provide some it a little more cohesive..
MC’s Sophie and Thien do provide the necessary glue that binds it all together though. They both radiate an enthusiasm and joy at being on stage that brings a freshness to Brisbaret that’s not often seen. They love entertaining the masses and are incredibly comfortable doing it and we’re all the better for it. Throughout the night, they riff with each other effortlessly and dazzle us with us musical comedy numbers that balance the difficult mix of political satire with charming geekery. Standout tracks include an ode to the government’s favourite new consultant, the Empathy Coach, and a celebration of all of the ways people show they have strong emotions through songs and musical theatre.
A particular hightlight is ‘Vax and Spills’, a very now version of snakes and ladders the created for the night, played by audience members. Each player has a token that captures a different iterations of our PM, including Hawaiian Scomo, Bushire Scomo and Sad for Women Scomo. Sophie and Thien kept us giggling throughout the game with some razor sharp comedy about Australia’s vaccination trials and tribulations*. All with a side of education too, as my hubby swears he learnt more about our country’s vax and spills in a 10 min bit than he had from the last month of news.
Brisbaret has done a stellar job in joining the local cabaret / variety nights playing on the regular. If you’re like me, you’ll head to your first one keen see the guaranteed random assortment of local artists doing their thing. After one dose of dynamic duo Sophie and Thien, you’ll be sure that you’ll return on the regular.
Catch Brisbaret’s delightful randomness on the second Tuesday of every month at Fritenburger in Paddington. If you want to perform at a future Brisbaret, and be made into a trading card for their socials in the process, contact them at brisbaret@gmail.com You can read more about Brisbaret in our interview with Sophie and Thien.
* And the result of Vax and Spills? Well, Bushfire Scomo actually did something for once and won the game. And his avatar finally got that handshake he was so desperately looking for.
