Gaybies - Speak with Truth and Passion

Gaybies

Powerhouse Visy Theatre

Melt Festival pf Queer Arts and Culture

5th February 2016

My second fabulous night at Adam Gardnir's Melt Festival was Gaybies directed by Powerhouse Artistic Director Kris Stewart associate director Joe Simons (bumped into again), lit by Jason Glenwright. Last night along with my cousin Michelle Boyd ( who always takes the fun pictures) and her husband Phil I saw a huge cross section of Brisbanites coming together to celebrate diversity through the exact words of children of that broad sexual identity spectrum of what we call family. The off spring of parents of different combinations - two fathers, two mothers, four parents, transgender parents, the clubbers, the mechanics etc. etc

There was so much laughter as actors, singers, politicians, journalists, business people lent their honest commitment to reading the stories, riding tricycles, drawing families in crayon exposing personal revelations. There was also the occasional sadness of more harrowing stories that Pat Patrick O'Neill, ALP Candidate for the Federal Seat of Brisbane brought so much pathos to. Overall the evening was very upbeat, positive and a celebration of just how much we are all alike. Margi Brown Ash was the cutest kid on the block and her tricycle was a hoot. Barbara Lowing is so infectious that laughter and sympathy just flows to and from her characters. These two women are such great adornments to Brisbane's stages. It was also so funny how much I identified with so many passages that 4ZZZ's and Eurovision's Blair Martin read. It was if he had found my diary (I don't actually have one). After the show with red wine in hand I met up with several other cast members like journalist Xanthe Coward, Brisbane Festival director David Berthold, Actor and such fun character and singer Kurt Phelan. I had a very short chat with Gordon Hamilton who is the artistic director of Australian Voices about the up coming Mozart Requiem with the QSO and fabulous Tenor come home for this Kang Wang. I got to hang out a bit with the beautiful voiced Lizzie Moore whom I feel I may have referred to as Libby to someone but blame the red wine and the fact we only met on Wednesday. I did not see the brilliant Emily Gilhome after the show to compliment her on the performance the guitar and everything she does. Pity I missed seeing Christopher Wayne as he was off doing some Ghostly things in Melbourne. I will be back tonight for another show so perhaps I will bump into him at the bar. It was so nice to have the play interspersed with some wonderful songs and piano and Brad Rush from the Gold Coast Arts Centre was one of the ivory tinklers.

Such a lovely play, an evening of joyous warm and fuzzies, hysterically funny and also touching. Politics, love, acceptance and entertaining. It finishes tonight so support your festival and rush along. I saw and spoke to several others thespians who were at the show like Tom Oliver from Pirates of Penzance and Sensational Jack in Into The Woods and soon to drop an EP, Kimberley Hodgson who you will remember as the spectacular Little Red in Into The Woods and once again Gabriel Comerford who has been part of so much creativity here.

Full Cast and Creatives/Crew