The Desperettes: A Guide to Being a Wingman | Burt Memorial Hall
Until Feb 18 | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
The Desperettes are a vocal trio of girls dressed up as boys using pickup lines so corny, clichéd and laughable commonly used by masses of men to pick up women; appropriated and delivered back to pick up for themselves or a friend; the role of a wingman.
The wingman term is generally a dude you bring along with you on singles outings to bars and clubs who helps you out with scoring favours with the ladies.
The Burt Memorial hall located in the Cathedral Square Hub in central Perth is a unique historical ecclesiastic venue with portraits of priests hung on one wall, high vaulted ceilings and incredible stained glass windows; this alone is worth a visit.
The stage is set with massive pink ’50s styled bouffant wigs. The Desperettes are the men, somewhere between the look of a drag king and the lineage of girl/boy groups from the ’60s into the ’90s. Think The Supremes mashed up with The Backstreet Boys in a church making inappropriate comments and singing up a glitter storm.
The performance is a dream scene, imagine church on a Sunday with a bunch of drag kings singing and performing synchronised dance steps while making inappropriate comments; with no social filters.
Imagine the Backstreet Boys in drag singing all your favourite ’90s vocal pop rap classics, making improper comments every chance possible, a laugh a minute joy ride of pop hit pleasure.
Nothing is sacred, including the Dalai Lama to marriage equality and sexual positions imagined and only performed by a few.
Male privilege is explored through comical lyrical mashups of song and catchy pickup lines commonly used on the dating app tinder or at your local bar.
We get to hear alternative renditions of Destiny’s Child’s Survivor, I’m Every Woman originally sung by Chaka Khan in the late ’70s then by the late Whitney Houston in the early ’90s. The Fierce track by Beyoncé Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), the ’90s ballad by Wilson Phillips Hold On, to Kylie Minogue late ’80s classic – I Should Be So Lucky.
The performance is glitter-ferocious, The Desperetttes are the men, girls dressed up as boys, delivering songs with a twist, a girl-boy band with harmonic tourettes syndrome.
Expect to be entertained for two more nights as we reach the final days of Fringe World festival, Friday 17 Feb and Saturday 18 Feb at 8pm. Tickets and more information available from fringeworld.com.au
Guy Gomeze
