Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Prepare for some ‘fierce fem energy,’ we’re promised at the start of this bawdy hip-hop-infused cabaret – and that’s exactly what they deliver: 90 minutes of full-on burlesque party, powered by loud and proud clarion calls to crush the patriarchy. 

Atop an illuminated honeycomb sits DJ Busty Beatz, riling up the crowd as she hosts a seamless parade of outstanding circus-style acts, including a hula-hooper, quick-change artist and jaw-dropping orgasmic beatboxing.

Individually impressive in their varied talents, together they are a tightly choreographed force of nature, creating visually stunning scenes to match the pounding music. Their energy is ratcheted up to the maximum, with only a poignant aerial rope act offering a moment of calm. 

The performance is ultra-slick, from the lighting design on the hive to costumes that transform cleverly, to batons with LEDs that create stunning patterns when swirled. And the show earns its place in a comedy festival for its strong satirical edge and innate wit across many performances, especially Busty Beatz’s MCing. Witness the awful behaviour of Aussies on tour parodied in one sketch or the toxic big dick energy of a boy band in another. Meanwhile, our host growing spacehopper boobs is just a silly celebration of womanhood.

The troupe, all women of colour, want to demolish tropes such as the ‘dusky maiden fantasy’ of Pacific islanders - mocked with a reverse striptease from co-creator Lisa Fa’alafi. Privilege in all its forms is confronted, Aboriginal land rights are championed, and the corrosive effect of stereotypes called out. Skits with an added layer such as this have the edge over those that simply affirm female power, and a wider narrative would bump the show even higher.

But this power-packed celebration of women’s might is protest cabaret at its highest level, radical and joyful in equal measure. Yet the main reason Hot Brown Honey has become such a red-hot Australian artistic phenomenon in recent years is because it is, quite simply, a cracking night out – full of buzz with a powerful sting in the tail.

Review date: 25 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival