Sweatshop | Briefs Factory
The Briefs boys have an almost cult-like following in their Brisbane hometown, and upon seeing any one of their shows it is easy to see why. They have a well-earned reputation for creating shows that are fun, exciting, and a little bit wild. Sweatshop is no exception.
Polished, intense, and often hilarious, this hour of cabaret performances flies by. Acrobatic, sideshow, comedy and drag elements are broken up by host and boss lady of the Sweatshop, Tash York, who is smart, funny, and great at getting the best out of the audience. There is no need for a set when the costumes are as striking as they are, and the music selection is familiar and upbeat.
My personal favourite act was from local Brisbane pole-dancer Charlie Love, whose aerobics inspired pole routine was equal parts comedically earnest, while still being vibrant and fun. Charlie is a charming and expressive performer who can really work a crowd, and has some impressive skills to show off.
A lot of the joy of Sweatshop is how engaged the performers are with the audience. Requests for cheers are met with enthusiasm from a crowd that is on their side from the moment they step on stage. This is the magic of Briefs: a group of performers doing unconventional things, presenting brightly and boldly to a room of people who are 100% there for every moment of it. Kween Kong is the epitome of this pop concert liveliness - the friend who attended Briefs with me remarked that the vibrancy of a Kween Kong performance is the kind of energy she would expect at a Beyonce concert.
Sweatshop is the first Briefs production I have seen without company co-founders Fez Faanana and Mark Windmill on stage. Tash York is a very different host to Fez (an AFAB drag queen vs the iconically bearded Shivannah), but the spirit is similar. Tash maintains the high energy, quick wit, and playfulness I expect from a Briefs show, connecting with the audience at every opportunity. The tone of inclusivity, unabashed joy and gender role fuckery that makes a Briefs show such a great night out are maintained with this cast, which I think is a pretty special thing to achieve when Fez and Mark have been the faces of the shows for so long.
I have heard people dismiss shows like this one as not being “art”, by which they often mean “not important”. When hundreds of people gather in a space to cheer loudly for people defying expectations, it creates a temporary community who imagines and endorses a world that is different and better than the one we currently live in. Celebrating freedom of expression is a vital protest against a world which would often rather us not be our full selves, which makes Brief’s Sweatshop vital viewing in my books.
