It's been almost ten years since Rebecca Church debuted Seen & Heard - a variety show which gives voices to performers who do not have the opportunity to often speak due to their chosen careers. Think circus and burlesque performers, drag queens and sex workers. In this format, these people share personal stories that surprise, entertain and inform us as to who the person behind the persona is. After a six-year gap, the show returns to Melbourne Fringe for a new season, new storytellers and new stories under the direction of Church.
Wes Snelling is our host for the evening and he does a wonderful job of making sure this mixed bag of misfits stay on track. Of course, Snelling's alter ego Tina del Twist is a different story, causing a ruckus in the audience with her fishbowl of wine. Snelling's recount of his Rock Eisteddfod dreams is quite affecting and a reminder that no one puts Wes in the corner and there is no such thing as a small role.
Lazy Susan, recently announced as a cast member in the upcoming season of Drag Race Down Under, is a sheer delight as she discusses the reality of getting old and whether Botox is the way to go. This has Lazy Susan recalling how much she has pushed herself to achieve drag success and how her mother's cancer diagnosis impacted one of the biggest successes of her career. These performers are always so fierce and in control on stage and you can be caught off guard seeing them be genuinely vulnerable and emotional.
Sex worker Frankie van Kan looks back on a "controversial" photo she posted when pregnant while wearing a large rooster head and the backlash she received regarding her parenting skills and the fear that her child will resent her at some point in the future because of the work that she does and how it’s perceived by our society. It is a raw and unapologetic affirmation.
Every story also comes with an act by the artist. Lazy Susan gives one of the most memorable lip syncs I have seen in a very long time and will forever be the first thing I think about when I hear Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive. Lumb's hula-hoops act displays the incredible abilities that her body still has despite injury to a fitting cover of Sia's Titanium sung by Tina del Twist, and Maureen recollects a hilarious memory about finding work during World War 2. Van Kan's intense burlesque routine is a big fuck you to anyone who tries to shame you because of who you are, what you do or what you look like, and it's a powerful way to end the night.
Lumb and Snelling (in their co-pruducing roles) have brought together a group of performers whose stories are unique yet extremely relatable. There have been many of us who have been led to feel shame about our bodies, had to announce who we really are to someone close to us, dealt with death or our bodies failing us. Seen & Heard allow us to see these humans in a new light and to better appreciate and understand their personas and acts. Hopefully it won't be another six years between seasons.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton
Season: until 13 October | Sun 8:30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $30 Full | $25 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival
Image credit designed: Alex Matsoukas
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