If you’ve ever wondered what a truly intersectional, feminist cabaret could look and feel like, Australia’s Polytoxic are the folks in the know. The theatre company, renowned for creating work that stuns, provokes and celebrates in equal measure, embodies this in their bold and searing new show Dangerous Goods. The high-octane cabaret merges varying forms of artistry, from poetry and music to circus and comedy, with creators Lisa Fa’alafi and Leah Shelton offering up a collaborative tour de force that pokes fun at convention and patriarchal, colonial mindsets which render ideas like self-determination and body sovereignty as ‘dangerous’.
Kalala Sione’s vocals soar from the beginning, with the artist contributing an especially moving cover of Everyone Wants to Rule the World. There’s also Shelton’s visually arresting latex number which pokes fun at unrealistic body expectations; Fa’alafi’s audacious anti-colonisation Polynesian Barbie; and Jazida’s awe-inspiring fire eating and flame twirling brilliance.
Bridie Hooper’s aerial straps act begins with an unwanted wolf whistle, evolving into a statement of pure femme power as she twists and wraps herself in the air to a soundtrack of Goldfrapp’s Strict Machine. Later, Hooper returns for a masterful piece with besser blocks, balancing and contorting her body to underline the strength that can and does co-exist with femininity.
In line with the show’s title, there’s a profound undercurrent of rebellion and defiance that runs through every performance, and through their fierce commentary, Polytoxic demand the kind of action and reaction that has the potential to change the world.
Dangerous Goods, Assembly George Square Gardens, until 24 Aug (not 6, 11, 18), 8.05pm