I saw Briefs last time it was in Brighton a few years ago and loved it. It was fun and warm-hearted and featured some incredibly handsome men in pants. On the whole it’s very entertaining, but on second acquaintance a few cracks are starting to show.
Shivanna has a great presence as the Mistress of Ceremonies, but a lot of her material hasn’t changed. Which would be fine if the routine was perhaps a bit sharper. Of course this is pure personal preference but I tend to switch off when someone is doing acrobatics involving a hula hoop. Unless it’s on fire in which case I’m awestruck.
But the good stuff easily makes up for any longueurs. Evil Monkey Man is still a reliably rampant id, violating bananas and audience members with maniacal glee.
The Naughty Schoolboy routine – it’s not quite as sinister as it sounds – perfectly balances innocence and eroticism which is surely the very heart of burlesque. Or, as I think we have to call it, boylesque. The Dog Sketch – it has a denouement more shocking than even The Sixth Sense – reliably produces shrieks from anyone who doesn’t know its awful twist.
There’s some astounding displays of skill. Monkey Man’s act where he does a routine with an incendiary hula hoop is really impressive – he seems to be constantly millimetres away from some pretty serious singeing. Though having another act with a non-flaming hoop appear later in the show results in an inevitable feeling of anticlimax.
This time round my impression was of a brilliant hour trapped in a ninety-minute show. Though if you haven’t seen it before you’ll almost certainly have a blast.
Continues at Republic, Madeira Drive until June 3.
For more information and tickets click here.
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