Review - First World White Girls Botox Party: clever, incisive, funny
Right: Madison (Meggan Hickey) and Tiffany (Judy Hainsworth) in full flight. Photo by Nathaniel Mason
Brisbane Comedy Festival
First World White Girls Botox Party
By Judy Hainsworth
Directed by Lewis Jones.
Designed by Penny Challen
Musical director Dominic Woodhead
Rooftop Terrace
Brisbane Powerhouse
Season: March 7 -12
There seems to be no stopping Judy Hainsworth. She keeps on creating well-crafted comedy that is clever, incisive, funny and usually topically on target. In the beginning the Babushka Dolls kept audiences laughing and now her First World White Girls are throwing a very successful Botox Party and doing exactly the same thing. The show debuted in Brisbane with a sold-out season at the Judith Wright Centre in 2014 and has been well received all over the country,
This new production stars Judy as Tiffany and introduces Meggan Hickey as her “bestie” Madison and pianist Max Radvan (or Miguel the South American refugee) who throws in his comedy titbits as well.
Dressed in designer wear and carrying designer dogs in designer handbags the girls dole out insults and praise and hold the audience in the palms of their hands with hilarious snobbery.
The glory of these two over-privileged girls is the absolute sincerity the characters present: the audience began to identify with some of their problems; losing the new car smell; having to drink Chardonnay instead of Pinot Grigio or worse, seeing “cashed up bogans” flying business class. There were times when us less privileged people saw ourselves up there and truly understood some of their problems.
In fact during an audience participation spot the audience’s problems were worse than Tiffany and Madison’s.
Previous fame however dos seem to have gone to Tiffany’s has as she promoted her soon-to-released album – 92 (“the year I was born”). Madison's raised eyebrows won laughs galore at that quip. The show wowed audiences at the Adelaide festive and on its Brisbane opening night the laughter continued with a capacity audience in the Rooftop Terrace room at the Brisbane Powerhouse.
The one hour show moved at lightning pace, the comedy timing from both actor/singers was sharp and the script and songs, written by Judy Hainsworth, were sometimes satirical and sometimes just simply funny.
As the audience filed in a black-garbed, bearded young man stood on stage, looking very bored and blowing up balloons while alternatively sucking on an asthma spray. He looked like anyone’s roadie, but turned out to be piano player Max Radvan.
Judy and Meggan, who is a graduate of Griffith University Musical Theatre course, only started rehearsals on this show in December last year. But they blended into a dynamic duo that never missed a beat and sang with power and clarity, which was necessary with so many wonderful words to hear. They certainly had two first class voices.
The show itself was hard hitting as well as funny and as politically incorrect as they come. Nothing was left out, terrific lyrics highlighted climate change, the Adelaide power outages. Ian Thorpe and Adele and even the latest cosmetic fads – the song about Labiaplasty, rude and crude at times but it brought the house down as did their pom-pom girl routine in praise of Donald Trump.
And would ever forget the masterful song in praise of Botox to the sung to the tune of Memory! It was so beautifully sung that the audience tried to hold back the laughter to hear the voice.
It only has a short run in Brisbane, so grab a ticket if you can. At around $25 for a full hour of pure entertainment it’s worth every cent - and look out in the regions when the White Girls go on tour.
Whooping iot nup after the show. Photo by Deanne Scott
so beautifully sung that the audience tried to hold back the laughter to hear the voice.
It only has a short run in Brisbane, so grab a ticket if you can. At around $25 for a full hour of pure entertainment it’s worth every cent - and look out in the regions when the Whiter Girls go on tour.