Nope.  High levels of resistance.  I did not want to go to BABY BI BI.  Billed as a wickedly funny, often filthy cabaret about being a bisexual woman, I just figured that age and orientation were against me.  But if age has taught me anything it’s that one can always be surprised.  This lot charmed me into going and I am so pleased they did.  It’s pretty rude, more c words than I had actually ever thought about. Including … charming.

And cracker choreography and coherence and cohesiveness and competence.  This is a really well scripted and put together show with original songs and committed performances, great choreo and excellent tech including the women’s mic work.  They have, after all, done this show a bit and experience shows through the loucheness of their topic.   

Using their life and sexual experience, the three women, Annabel Larcombe, Erin Pattison and Samantha Andrew have moulded a cabaret that is loosely designed around their original songs. The songs have considerable variety and they colour outside the lines for length and structure.  There’s some Andrew Sisters’ smoothness, some 90’s slow blues, some rap, a solo ballad and some very trad rock and roll.  Using a backing tape to effect, they also play kickin guitar, great keyboards, a uke and even a shaker that looks suspiciously scrotal.

Their vocal work certainly suits the styles they have chosen in the music and the blend of the three is very easy to listen too.  There’s some excellent diction here as well, especially in something like the opening number which certainly gets the tempo up.  And the engagement hitting full force with the charisma and skill of the trio. Some of the audience initially just want to whoop at words like pussy but the wit of the songs and the impressive lack of any innuendo, I mean why bother?, tunes in the unruly elements early by making them commit.

A word about the audience, a very intimidating audience with lots of people drinking, men patting girlfriends on the bum and extraordinarily loud in the foyer.  But ask that crowd to identify … bi, lesbian or, or, just plain ally … and the response is huge.  These are the people that the Queer community needs to engage with, they are as supportive as hell.   This is the emancipated spectator, this is political theatre, this is agit-prop for a new world.  But don’t tell anyone.

Because what we get is highly entertaining personal, well written, songs and spoken sequences which pull no punches with language or content.  One of the other c words? Cliché. They hit every one they can and force it into submission, they have obviously heard the lot! A Lot!  They touch on coming out as bi, being femme, being misunderstood and 44 other things you can do to scratch your itch to be attention seeking.  And if there was ever an anthem for self-respect ‘You’re Evicted’ hits the spot.

I am so pleased that Flesh Coloured Panties cajoled me into attending, it was great fun to see their work. Good clean country fun … nope can’t bring myself to write the word that I really, really want to say.

BABY BI BI from Flesh Coloured Panties [Facebook] via Bondi Theatre Company played one night only at the Bondi Pavilion Theatre to a full house and a standing ovation.