Retro Futurismus

Touted as putting the "odd" into "space odyssey", Retro Futurismus is a shape-shifting variety show that nods to the minimalistic future dreamed up in yesteryear. It explores a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland populated by robots, roaches, astronauts, aliens and the remaining dregs of the human race.

This dystopian vaudeville show doesn't neatly fit into what we know to be cabaret, burlesque or circus. It's many things at once, flitting between cute, sassy, kooky and unnerving, while remaining artful and incredibly conceptual.

Finding its roots in 2015 at Melbourne's artistic hub fortyfivedownstairs as a variety night featuring a rotating cast of guest performers, Retro Futurismus has finally emerged onto the Sydney stage in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent for Sydney Festival.

Masterminds Anni and Maude Davey kick off their hosting duties in gold jumpsuits and rubber heels, shoulder pads and hair reaching for the gods. They prove that outrageous fashion and performance are playthings not only reserved for male drag queens and women under 40.

Accompanied by the funky backing tracks of a Yamaha Portasound salvaged from the 80's, their funky opening spoken-word breakdown sets the scene and pseudo-political tone of the evening.

The ensuing hour of acts featuring the full cast of collaborators - Gabi Barton, Anna Lumb and Teresa Blake - is as diverse as it is bizarre. A giant cloud-like creature literally shits bricks; a roller-skating riot grrrl lets loose with bubble wrap; a giant pink star dances its way through the audience; a metallic worm does a sexy routine; giant cockroaches try to draw an intelligent response from the humans in the crowd; a bikini made of bricks is strangely empowering and a homeless-looking man named Moses performs some of the best aerial work I've ever seen.

Shards of narrative emerge amongst the pandemonium although some of the acts popped more than others. An artsy interpretation of Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Black' sent chills down my spine. On the other hand, a monologue from a severely alcoholic character seemed out of place, but served as a poignant and quite literally sobering moment to a friend in the audience.

This show is raw and tactile in sensation; no other show over the Festival has used the Spiegeltent so immersively, with characters emerging from different points, bobbing and weaving through the audience - astronauts even descend from the rafters!

The show got so tactile in fact, that at one stage during their debut Festival show, a performer literally lost her grip on an aerial hand harness, swung off the stage and fell on top of an unsuspecting pair of audience members. Demonstrating showmanship at its finest, she carried on with the act immediately after checking no one was seriously injured. Alas, the show must go on! Unfortunately the impact of the act - in which she sings a climatic song of self-discovery and acceptance whilst stripping out of one outrageous lycra bodysuit down to a blue see-through number (which sprouts neon nipples and a big yellow 'lady garden') - was somewhat diminished by the awkwardness. The neo-feminist magic was not lost however. (I must add, the Spiegeltent staff were very attentive to the apparently unharmed audience members.)

Every performance in Retro Futurismus is fuelled by character and every performer appeared liberated by the unfiltered freedom of this independent production. The few acts involving full-frontal nudity were, funnily enough, the least sexualised of the bunch.

The Davey twins are captivating. Veterans of theatre, circus and burlesque - the sisters have only been hitting the stage as a duo since 2009. Talking to Michael Cathcart on the ABC's Radio National as the first iteration of Retro Futurismus was launching back in 2015, the pair expressed that with this show they were seeking to represent "what happens next after burlesque", explaining that it was once a "cutting edge place for artists interested in pushing boundaries" before it took the polished "boudoir" path. The resulting kaleidoscope of curated madness is a testament to their boundary-pushing ethos.

Retro Futurismus provides exactly the type of kitschy escapism we need in these present times of tech saturation and political madness. May its creators crash land on our city again soon and take us back to their planet.