REVIEW: Kym Vaitiekus shares his thoughts on FUCCBOIS LIVE IN CONCERT

Wednesday 16th October 8:30pm 2024, Old Fitz Theatre

REVIEW: Kym Vaitiekus shares his thoughts on FUCCBOIS  LIVE IN CONCERT

Fucc me, Bridie Connell is a phenomenal talent.

Director Jessica Fallico has expertly bought Connell’s work to the Old Fitz’s happening 2024 season.

Book, music and lyrics by Connell, FUCCBOIS LIVE IN CONCERT is a rollicking, entertaining secret pleasure that explores the boy band world of talent, fame, masculinity, narcissism and the naïve male perspective of the female jouorney. With a nod to the female strengths of this world.

From the feet stomping and infectious first number we are seduced by the boy band experience. Then through expert comic timing and superb voices we are taken on a night that explores the gender bias experience that exists in the universe of fame and fortune.

This boy band consists of Brandon (Bridie Connell), Brendan (Gabbi Bolt), Tyler ( Megan Walshe) and Also Brendan ( Clara Harrison). These parochial young males take us through their perspective of this world. How they see and use the sycophantic fans, their boyish view of feminism, their naïve view of love plus the legacy of having rich dads.

From the Urban dictionary: Fuck Boi “A guy who will tell a girl anything to get them to hook up with them.   Don’t fuck with a fuckboi.”

Connell’s work explores this persona, how and why they tick, how fame fuels these toxic behaviours, and then a little added self-awareness that makes their perspective possibly more ludicrous. The numbers include Rich Dads Club, I hear You Girl, The Gaskight Shanty and This is What a Feminist Look Like.

A high octane, pop song musical, concert experience that entertains, engages, makes you burst out in laughter and gets the grey matter cogs working, just a bit, to garner thought provoking analysis. When a boi embraces feminism to prove they are worthy of bedding.

Fallico’s direction is tight and displays her vast experience and deft hand. She must have some of that guilty pleasure to expertly portray the Boy Band sensation. But her forte is in the finely tuned performances, the comedic expertise and the engaging dramatic beats.

Connell, who is on stage wearing her extraordinary work embodies Brandon with abandon and a grounded reality that makes the satire hit the mark.

Walshe has a voice to die for and her finesse at the masculine sensibility is spot on.

Bolt, also with a superb voice, and a sharp eye on her character gives us that cheeky yet pointed self-centred masculine presence.

Harrison adds to the charm and charism of the boy band experience, her grounded yet playful character gives us some warm and self-reflection.

Orya Golgowsky is the Tour Manager, Michela. She beautifully plays our reality check and voice of reason. A skilful portrayal of this female role that needs to pull those bois into line. Her ‘enough with this ….” speech was earnestly delivered but Connell could have given the character more artful lines especially when compared to the inventiveness and masterful dialogue in the rest of the work.

Fallico brings this super talented ensemble together to create a real boy band extravaganza which only adds to the satire and double edge sword of laughing at, laughing with, and having that boy band fetish we dare not admit.

Elle Fitzgerald’s set is wonderfully tailor-made for the small Old Fitz stage. It gives the epic stadium feel in the restrictive space. The central design suits the concert feel.

It may be budget constraints but the low-resolution screen made the video segments hard to watch but as a visual set piece it added to the stadium atmosphere during the night’s performance.

Timothy Hope’s Lighting Design is dynamic and striking also adding excitement and impact to the arena sensation.

Jamie Winbank’s choreography is perfect. It’s obvious that his collaboration with Fallico has created the pop band energetic staging which supports the drama and comedy of the work.

I did wonder if casting males would make a difference and Connell stated she originally planned it to be a male cast, then in development”: “I think it’s much stronger and clearer in terms of the content they’re singing about – if it’s women performing the songs. It gives us more license to explore those really gnarly aspects of that hyper-performative masculinity, more freedom to really go for it.

In the end the drag king casting gives more insight and delightful muses on patriarchy and the state of the female role within that society.

If I had friends in the financial sector who treat everything as a commodity, I’d be telling them to invest in Bridie Connell.

Like her future, this work is set to expand and grow.

What a show to see the FUCCBOIS LIVE IN CONCERT with a 2000 seat manic audience, self-aware that they are enjoying and parodying the boy band genre.

Get tickets before word of mouth gets out.

Photo Credit: Leanne Ansell.

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