Muntzenball
Little Black Box
Fringe Factory
Sat 24 March
until Sat 31 March


'Mutzenball' is a delicious, dirty cabaret. Exceedingly sexual, this kinky collection of songs, monologues and performance originally debuted in the 2006 Feast Festival. Gracefully it overrides smuttiness and vulgarity by indulging in an intelligent, emotive script and is laced with humour and humility. Adelaide's own emerging theatre and comedic gem Lori Farmer guides us through a journey of sexual liberation. Joining her, Chris Nash, Sarah Hunt and Claire Dunn are fabulously entertaining, yet so real and exposed, it's confronting to find you can entirely relate to them. Mario Spate adds not only his musical genius, but proves an enduring comic.

The cast ooze confidence, sex appeal and at times, brutal honesty; dominating their monologues with startling emotion. I can only wonder if perhaps these are indeed personal stories of sexual oppression, confusion and vulnerability. However, in true 'Mutzenball' style, within moments of these seemingly genuine confessions, the characters quickly return to their fantastical charade; breaking in to song, flirting with audience members or simply give an embarrassed laugh. This is a central theme; the promiscuous characters hiding behind confident masks, while underneath they're self-aware, exposed and unsure. These insights encourage the audience to be ashamedly aware of our everyday snap judgements of people we consider overtly sexual.

Those who wouldn't want to see 'Mutzenball' are the ones who need to see it most. It shocks and pushes the boundaries of sexual liberation, while begging the question, why do we insist on making taboos of the most natural human desires? As I left, I felt an overwhelming desire to simply thank the cast for sharing their tremendous talents.

Directed by Daisy Brown and co-written by the entire cast, 'Mutzenball' encourages our faith in Adelaide's local theatre and I greatly anticipate what Little Black Box will serve as its next delicious indulgence.

Bianca Weiler