The brains and bods behind the wondrous aerialists of Carnal Follies return to Adelaide stages in Briefs. Peter Burdon previews the show.

In my already tattered copy of the Fringe Guide, no page is more tattered than page 8, bottom right, where pencils and highlighters have doodled over the impossibly buff and sexy pix of the amazing Mark Winmill.

Many will remember Mark, and some others in the company that is presenting Briefs, from the exciting, exotic Carnal Follies presented at Feast a few years ago now, not to mention the Fringe. Winmill and co-creator Fez Fa’anana have gathered around themselves a company that includes Davy Sampford, one of the most amazing jugglers you’ll ever see, and international handstand performer Mali De Goey, memorably described in one promotion as “a vision in yellow terry-towelling”!

That’s before the “gatecrashers, special guests and cameos” who seem to have characterised their every outing to date, and you need to be aware that these guys have got some serious friends in the business, and you never know quite who might turn up from night to night!

Briefs was formed to provide a forum for some high-level, high-intensity, and occasionally high-camp performance, always of the highest quality. The show runs the gamut from cabaret to circus, with the multi-talented, multi-faceted Fez Fa’anana presiding. The guys in Briefs, bravely casting modesty aside, happily describe themselves as “a ball-busting boylesque brigade”! By all accounts, and reading the reviews of their previous outings, that’s quite an understatement. When the lycra comes out, it’s wall to wall beefcake. Woo hoo! That and some equally stunning and extravagant costumes, one of the many talents for which Fa’anana is justly famed.

After a few outings on the alternative cabaret scene in Brisbane, Briefs got a great break when they were offered a mainstage gig at the 2009 Brisbane Festival.

In an interview last year in our sister publication, Queensland Pride, in Brisbane, Fa’anana considered what it is that makes shows like Briefs appeal to those who are looking for something different to the usual sort of Festival or Fringe fare. He said “For me, it’s such a delicious and decadent style of performing … a nice balance of masculine and camp.

At the Garden of Unearthly Delights, 5 late-nights only from 12-21 February.

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