The Stripsons - Adelaide Fringe Review
Ay, Carumba! Your favourite Springfieldians are back and better than ever, in burlesque and drag form!
Produced by The BAD Collective, the creative geniuses also behind Swamplesque, The Stripsons is a parody show of The Simpsons, featuring your favourite residents, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Homer Simpson, Milhouse Van Houten, Nelson Muntz, Edna Krabappel, Principal Skinner, Patty and Selma, Ned Flanders, Mr Smithers and Mr Burns.
The performance draws on various references across the all seasons of the show, primarily focussing on the more memorable classic moments, quotes, and songs. Of course, with 34 seasons to pick from, you won’t see every iconic moment, but the ones which they’ve selected will catch-on to you, regardless of whether you’re a big or small Simpsons fanatic.
Noticeably (and quite obviously), the references which they’ve chosen to use are undisputedly some of the sexiest moments throughout the Simpsons. Such references include the goddamn stupid sexy Flanders, the promiscuity of Krabappel, the fruity secret life of Smithers.
What is most impressive about the Stripsons is the highly extravagant fun factor of the entire show and its creativeness to portray such classic Simpsons moments in an overtly sexualised, outrageous, and seductive manner.
The drag outfits of the Stripsons characters seen during the show are a pure work of art. The intricate and accurate details of all of the costumes to recreate each of the characters was nothing short of perfection, and it easy to recognise which characters the cast were portraying.
One special mention for the wigs which were definitely custom made for the show, which appeared so life-like and with most of the characters having unique hairstyles, this was the cherry on-top of an already polished performance.
Trigger Happy and BeBe Gunn team up as Homer and Marge Simpson to recreate the undeniably complicated and loving marriage they have together, seducing the crowd and one another as they strut their stuff on the infamous brown Simpsons’ home couch. Happy’s energy appears to be endless as he is an unstoppable force during the entire show, despite arguably playing the most laziest character in all of Springfield.
Memphis Mae plays Bart Simpson and causes an absolute ruckus and brilliantly embodies the bad to the bone attitude of Bart, and oh my revealing a yellow surprise which must be seen to be believed.
Lulu LeMans takes on the part of Lisa Simpson, who channels the sibling tension between Bart and recreates Nelson and Lisa’s short-lived love story, only to then unexpectedly perform a feathered striplease to Celine Dion.
Barbie Banks springs on to the stage as Milhouse, with his bone-dry cuffs and raised eyebrows, gets up to explicit activities in the background of some of the skits within the show.
Kim Young stamps her authority on to the stage as Principal Skinner desperately calls for your attention. The energy and eclecticness of Young’s burlesque portrayal of Skinner will completely draw your focus.
Ella Nagle as Smithers cracks out a whip (which is totally 99 percent made out of licorice) and struts her stuff in an all-pink cowboy outfit that is awfully hot, hot, hot!
Frenchie Darling recreates the promiscuous antics of Edna Krabappel, who wows the audience with a plethora of sultry balloon pops and bangs.
Baron Von Envy’s performances as Flanders, Nelson, and Mr Burns are truly iconic. If you wanted to see what Flanders would be like if he had a sexual and sinning alter-ego side to his character, then you must see the show. Nelson has a couple of cameos throughout the show and a skit with Lisa Simpson. The performance of Mr Burns is well……you’ll just have to see his vest.
Also playing the role of Patty and Selma, Gunn and Darling ingeniously fall into one absolute heck of a choking fit as they become chain smokers and exchange cigarettes with one another.
The BAD Collective have done it once again and created a show which has taken an iconic childhood television show and recreated it into a live performance which is most certainly not for viewing by children.
If you’re looking to feel the nostalgia of The Simpsons combined with lots and lots of twerking, striptease, tassel twirling, dance, and drag, then I can’t recommend The Stripsons more. As a huge fan of the television show, you’ll be woohoo-ing, cheering, crying in awe, and applauding for every single moment.
Rating: ★★★★★
Show information: The Stripsons
