Hive City Legacy - Naarm Chapter review

Explaining what Hot Brown Honey does isn’t easy. For over a decade, they have presented feminist productions that span dance, comedy, circus, spoken word, and music, all while confronting racism, colonialism, and gender inequality with clarity and power. Their Hive City Legacy project has BIPOC femmes in the arts join forces to create original work that reflects the unique talents of each city’s cast.

Following earlier seasons in London and Dublin, the third instalment - Hive City Legacy: Naarm Chapter - arrives in Melbourne. Here, seven local BIPOC femme artists share their stories and voices in a performance grounded in genuine collaboration and mutual support.

The show opens with the performers speaking in their ancestral language, acknowledging heritage and identity from the outset. It’s a striking beginning that highlights the collective's diverse backgrounds and sets the tone for what follows. It speaks to the extraordinary commitment and skill of these artists to have devised a 70-minute event in just four weeks, while also contributing to choreography (with Lisa Fa’alafi and Yami Löfvenber), costume design, and the original composition (with Kim “Busty Beatz” Bowers).

The performance shifts fluidly between drag, circus, poetry, dance, music, and spoken word. Their individual artistry is impressive, but it’s their combined strength that leaves a lasting impact. Their championing of one another is central to the show, and it’s this sense of unity and purpose that makes Hive City Legacy such a compelling and necessary piece of theatre.

A wide range of themes are explored, from trans rights to the systemic failures of the medical industry in supporting women’s health, as well as sex, sexuality, and resistance to patriarchy. These ideas are woven through lived experience, adding depth and immediacy to what we witness. It’s this personal connection that allows this production to linger, long after the lights go down. They are not simply on stage; they fully inhabit it.

Hive City Legacy: Naarm Chapter is more than a performance. It’s a statement of presence, resilience, and spirit. It reminds us of the importance of creating space for voices too often pushed to the margins. What unfolds is bold, provocative, and deeply human; a work that challenges, celebrates, and insists that we listen more closely. This is precisely what theatre can and should be.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
Season: until 27 April | 7:30pm
Duration: 70 mins
Tickets: $35 - $45 Full | $24 Conc
Bookings: Arts Centre Melbourne

Hive City Legacy - Naarm Chapter cast are:

Adrian Blount aka MuvaXXX Voyager
Andi Cooper aka The Beat Spinner
Rian Difuntorum aka The Queen Mutha
Yolanda Lowatta aka Bubbles
Ebony Portelli aka The Soul Sorceress
Noah Scintilla aka The Fire Starter
Linnea Tengroth aka Midnight Ink