Presented by Adelaide Festival Centre and Black Honey Company
Reviewed 26th September 2017
When it came to sitting down and writing this review it was difficult to know where to start. There was so much within Hot Brown Honey to be sure of what to tease out without spoiling the incredible experience of the show.
The basic background for the show is that it’s an all female production that uses ideas around gender and race to present an overall display of dance, song, spoken word, burlesque, and some circus. There’s at least one act within the show that someone could find confronting but it is balanced in such a way that it feels as if we are welcomed into the confronting sections and then carried back out of it feeling empowered.
The production is a highly detailed show from the deliberately excessive stitches in the costumes, to the cultural and political influences that underpin the individual acts. The messages behind each piece is cleverly designed. The entertainment value was still there even in the more intense moments.
The circus and burlesque sides of the show have been delightfully twisted to remove the standardised and expected nature to the performance. This is mainly done through the individual stories embedded in the acts. These tale carry the political clout while the brilliant skills of the performers maintain the upbeat and amusement aspects.
The stage set up, sound and lighting are impressively fine tuned to highlight key moments, including small details on the costumes, as well as control the overall pacing of the show. There are a couple slower moments here and there but these are minor thoughts of a fantastic show that is full of comedy, honesty, and bite.
Hot Brown Honey is high on my recommendation list. It is a wonderful and thoughtful show with too much compelling content to be able to unpick it all in a few hundred words.
Reviewed by Alex Dunkin
Twitter: @AlexDunkin
Venue: Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: 26th – 30th September 2017
Duration: 1 hour 15 mins
Tickets: $30.00 – $45.00
Bookings: http://www.ozasiafestival.com.au/events/hot-brown-honey/
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