Travelling Sisters - Anywhere Theatre Festival
Home > Brisbane > Theatre | Fun Things To Do | Festivals | Comedy | Theatre Reviews
Brisbane's home-grown comedy trio, The Travelling Sisters, have enjoyed sell-out audiences every night at Anywhere Theatre Festival and have now extended their season with a new show on Sunday the 4th of June. The innovative northern arts festival has set a real 'community tone' by turning 'everyday spaces' such as swimming pools, cafes, gyms and bars into theatrical and playhouse venues. The Five Sisters Art House Café which is known for Greek cuisine and an on-site bar, is the Travelling Sisters gracious Brisbane host.
The ordinary, the extraordinary and 'silly' surrealism
'It is 1982' … and we witness three blokes in a suburban Brisbane pub big-noting themselves to impress local babes. This is a scene to which all Australians can relate. The Travelling Sisters have a clear affection for their characters and their genuine 'feel-good' vibe runs through the entire performance.
It is a rare gift to be able to 'speak potato' and draw audience compassion from 'vegetable' heartbreak: it does happen, so use your napkin to wipe away the tears! Laura Trenerry, who presented actor workshops at Anywhere Festival, also holds audiences captive with her 'send-up of stand-up'. Ell Sachs is an impressive musician and cabaret songstress and Lucy Fox's has acting and mime skills that steal the show. Laura, Ell and Lucy are all multi-skilled and yet, in the spirit of 'true sisterhood', share the limelight and highlight each other's individual moments too. Together, they take audiences back in time when laughter and play was the name of the game.
The hilarity of these character-driven sketches lies in the Sisters' ability to tease audience expectation. Imagine an elderly couple celebrating their love under the crooning, animated moon (Ell Sachs). 'In love' for their entire lives, the couple engage with the audience to recreate their whimsical wedding games of yesteryear- 'pass the pancake' and 'roll the sausage'. The Travelling Sisters use audience interactivity to create surreal endings that surprise and delight.
Mid-show and the Sisters change costumes yet again, on-stage, in real time and change our world-view about 'art history and crime'. 'The Scream' resonates as sassy mime and the classic masterpiece is blackened and its lines are minimalised. The Travelling Sisters' art-mark is their cheeky, brash wit. All are impressive mimics, comics and actors, and nothing is off limits when there is fun to be had. It needs to be stated though, The Travelling Sisters' trademark is good taste and respect.
'Playing It Up' on the World Stage
The Travelling Sisters' humour comes from their complete lack of inhibition. They met and 'fell in love' at the University of Southern Queensland and since then, have travelled, studied and performed extensively. In Paris, they trained with Philippe Gaulier and have worked in the UK since 2015. In Europe, The Travelling Sisters have played to audiences at the Edinburgh, Prague and Bedford fringe festivals, Glastonbury Festival and the Bath Comedy Festival; as well as at the Clockenflap Festival in Hong Kong and at Australia's own Woodford Folk Festival. Their love of travel and international credentials have led them 'off-track and open to new experiences and ways of thinking'. As Lucy Fox says: 'it has definitely influenced our tendency towards the surreal and absurd.' Their off-beat show is the adventure-trip of a lifetime.
Laura Trenerry deliberates on their characterisation inspiration: 'When we were living in London, we had so much fun playing with Australian mannerisms, accents and quirks that we've ended up with a whole bunch of ridiculous characters, some of which are very Australian'. It is wonderful to go to a comedy show and to connect with Australian nostalgia.
Outright Unmissable
Descriptions such as 'madcap', 'upbeat silliness' and 'outright ridiculous' that dress the Sisters are well-founded and yet, understate the show's hilarity. The Travelling Sisters are dedicated to their comedy performance art and their power of their observation and natural instinct for comedy is fine-tuned with their disciplined compositional and editing skills. Brisbane, witness this home-grown Sister Act 3: they may just prove to be Australia's greatest comedy export.
