BRED | Briefs Factory
Fez Faanana, Emily Havea, Thomas Fonua, Dale Woodbridge-Brown and Luke Hubbard come together for an impressive performance that combines drag, dance, music, spoken word and physical movement while exploring identity, culture, discrimination among other issues. It’s a reminder that in what can seem like a messed-up world there is still beauty around.
Image + cover image: Aaron Walker
The best way to describe Bred is that it comes across like a variety show, with various forms of physical theatre on display. There are emotional moments into moments of joy and laughter, but it’s evident through each of the performers that they are dedicated to their art and putting on the best show possible.
I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to get going in, but was blown away by the opening. We get a powerful rendition of What A Wonderful World mixed, a song that becomes a regular motif throughout the night with different versions mixed in with movement and word. Whether it was intentional or not, the opening to Bred gave me Jordan Peel vibes with its surreal approach and haunting end.
I found most of the show to be very captivating. The dance and movement were well choregraphed and heightened by the emotions that the performers were able to physically convey. The music choices fitted with what was unfolding on stage, and the more comedic parts brought out genuine laughter from the audience.
Image: Aaron Walker
As impressive as the physical elements were, some of the more powerful moments were the dialogue parts. Emily delivers a powerful spoken word poem that had everyone in the room listening and Luke Hubbard stole the show for me in a closing performance that delved into the ongoing racism in the Australian police force and Indigenous deaths in custody, something that resonated with me deeply.
The variety of styles on display all melded together in a concise way, with nothing feeling disjointed and all the pieces combining well to enhance the greater themes of the show. Each vignette was given the time to wow the audience with nothing dragging and everyone getting the chance to showcase their individual skills while also showing off their chemistry as a team.
Bred is a show that I think would be worth seeing again as I feel I probably missed some of the themes and symbolism throughout. I found myself focused on the routines, whereas on a second watch I would try to focus more on the story that is unfolding within those routines.
As the show ended and the performers received a round of applause, Fez introduced us to each of the cast members and gave us some background on everyone. It was a touching moment, and you could tell that they are a close group of artists and how much it meant to them all to put this together.
It’s a show I would recommend to anyone that is interested in circus, dance, movement, drag and cabaret. With it also being a show raising social issues, it gives the audience something to think about and to engage in further discussion around those topics, but it’s also a show that brings a lot of fun with hard hitting truth-telling throughout.
