GO BENNIE, IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, RED BENNIES HAS BECOME ONE OF THE BRIGHT SPOTS ON MELBOURNE’S ALTERNATIVE PERFORMING ARTS MAP. AERIAL ARTIST BILLIE WILSON-COFFEY SPEAKS TO ALEKSIA BARRON ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS UNIQUE VENUE. It’s been a year since Chapel Street venue Red Bennies first opened its doors. Over the past 12 months, many a patron has entered this unique venue to be entertained by a variety of music, arts, cabaret, and circus acts. Aerial artist Billie Wilson-Coffey was one of the performers at Red Bennies opening party, and has appeared on the stage (or the ceiling, as the case may be) regularly throughout the last year. “I’ve become a regular performer, which has been awesome,” she says happily. “It’s a great opportunity.” It’s been quite a year for a venue still in its infancy. Red Bennies opened to plug a gap in Melbourne’s performance scene – namely, the need for a niche venue that could accommodate the
FREAK AND FLESH FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY Every now and then you’re sent a press release describing an event in words that simply cannot be topped, and the latest one is for The Freak And The Showgirl: “An orgy of flesh, flippers, and fun, bumping, grinding, and freaky frolics all culminating in a beer-drinking competition with the audience.” Direct from Amsterdam Fringe and playing in Melbourne for one night only, The Freak – Brit Mat Fraser – and The Showgirl – American Julie Atlas Muz – will run through magic, freakshow, striptease, burlesque, subversive songs, and comedy…and a special performance of Sealo the Sealboy. Certainly one of the most eclectic nights on the calendar this year. The Freak And The Showgirl takes over the East Brunswick Club Wednesday 23 February. Tickets through the venue.
RED BENNIES CELEBRATES FIRST BIRTHDAY This Saturday 29 January Red Bennies will celebrate its first birthday. The venue has quickly established itself as one of the best venues in Melbourne – something the Fringe whole-heartedly endorsed, awarding them their Best Venue award. To help celebrate in typical fashion, an eclectic bill of music and arts will on the tables Sunday night, featuring a circus, vaudeville, and burlesque spectacular with Farhard, Ikko, Billie Wilson-Coffet, Zoe Robbins, Skopalova, Eden Read, Tank & Kelly Ann Doll, Constantina and the Bushettes, and MC Knave Knixx, with DJs spinning jazz, hip hop, soul, funk, and cabaret show tunes. Doors open 8pm. Head to redbennies.com for more information.
requirements of a wide range of performances, including a complex musical setups and the unusual needs of circus performers. Considering that Wilson-Coffey’s work is done from a large hoop, suspended from the ceiling, which twirls and swings, it’s no surprise that she struggled to find a venue that could accommodate her act. “There wasn’t a place where we could perform regularly,” she says, referring to the struggles faced by herself and other acrobatic artists. With the opening of Red Bennies, though, Wilson-Coffey has finally experienced the joy of regular performances. She now almost has the opposite problems – that of trying to refine and tweak her act to prevent the regulars becoming bored. “I try
and do a new act every time, whether it’s costume or music. A new costume can create a totally different vibe and a new persona on stage.” Wilson-Coffey moved from northern New South Wales to attend the National Institute of Circus Arts in Prahran, graduating in 2009. She can’t speak highly enough of the experience: “The circus school is fantastic – three years of intense training, and you come out with a world-class act at the end of it.” Since then, she’s been happy to call Melbourne home, although the opportunity to tour her act is one that she doesn’t like to pass up. A highlight was taking her aerial performance to Russia, where she experienced the reactions of a very different kind of audience. While Russians are known for their appreciation of the demanding physical arts, Wilson-Coffey explains, “It was completely different. In Russia, they seem to like traditional acts with glitter and stuff. I think Australia enjoy acts in a bit more of a contemporary way.” It goes a long way to explaining the appeal of Red Bennies cabaret-style acts to a performer of Wilson-Coffey’s nature. After all, Red Bennies relishes its role as the host to unusual, envelope-pushing performers. So completely have they endorsed the “fringe” of the arts, they won the Fringe festival’s prestigious Best Venue award in 2010 – only their first year as a venue. Wilson-Coffey urges people to throw themselves into the spirit of the luxe, slightly left-of-centre vibe that the venue gives off. “Dress up. Wear some red lipstick,” she advises. After all, a first birthday only happens once. “It’s a great atmosphere – everyone’s dressed up behind the bar, there’s funky music. It’s a great place to go out.” WHAT: Red Bennies’ first birthday WHERE & WHEN: Red Bennies Saturday 29 January
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PIERCE: BEFORE AIDS, SEX WAS LIKE SHAKING HANDS. ABED: HENCE AIDS. Pierce (Chevy Chase) and Abed (Danny Pudi) discuss sex in Community.
THEATRE REVIEW CARNEGIE 18 The Arts Centre Carnegie 18, presented by Full Tilt, is a programme comprising four works of musical theatre in development. The second show on Saturday night was sold out, which goes to show how much wonderful support there is in our fair city for theatre of all kinds. Programme one comprised of Every Angel Is Terrible and Rawk. Peter Burgess’s Rawk is a modern ‘boys’ own’ dealing with the young male experience of social dislocation and at the other extreme, rock stardom; the team presented 40 minutes of a coherent, albeit very much edited version of the existing full-length piece with a hard rock/ heavy metal score from the band. We saw 40 minutes of Every Angel, a less polished but moving work by a team headed by Sarah Ward and Maude Davey, which deals with a
shocking subject (child abuse) in a thoughtful, accessible way without ever trivialising the issue. As with programme one the two shows on Saturday night could not have been more different from each other – Contact is an opera about netball (!); the juxtaposition of colloquial language with operatic libretto is hilarious and the team of accomplished sopranos delightful. Curtains, by David Chisholm, left the audience highly impressed but frankly overawed. Stunningly performed by Wes Snelling’s Tina del Twist, Sarah Ward’s Yana Alana, and Mikelangelo (and Meow Meow via video) it wittily deconstructs all expectations but those punters very familiar with forms of musical theatre past and present will get the most from it. Promising and excellent works, all. Season finished LIZA DEZFOULI
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