Boyle and Waters in LEOTARD

If you did ballet as a kid, or aerobics as an adult, if you had a sister who was an acting student or a cousin who was a dancer, your life has crossed paths with the leotard – that innocuous plain-colour or sequined-enhanced theatrical costume that, due to its versatility, has survived the decades. When performers Bridget Boyle and Neridah Waters stockpiled a collection of leotards to develop a new show, the nametags lovingly stitched into each hand-me-down piece got them thinking about the women who wore those items. It inspired their latest show, LEOTARD, as a celebration of the voices of those theatrical aspirants past.

This show was created by its talented performers, with contributions through their involvement with the Common People Dance Project, and includes video input from real-life leotard-loving mums, ex-dancers, ordinary ladies, and kids (in a video design by Nathan Sibthorpe). Thankfully, this is no nasty send-up, and some of these filmed vox pops are the most poignant, moving and funny parts of the show. I admit to being in tears of laughter at the antics of the cute young twin sisters recounting the enjoyment they felt as sequined DJs in their latest on-stage stint. And then I teetered on an emotional edge at stories by one woman who held onto her first pink leotard as a badge of rebellion against her feminist mum (who usually disallowed the colour pink), and another who wears her unitard with pride when she clearly feels she has passed the age when she should be so brave. As well as feminine empowerment, the show deals with stage mums and teachers and the ludicrousness of prepubescent girls being paraded and displayed in lycra and g-strings.

Speaking of brave, Bridget and Neridah perform all their own dance and comedy routines in various lycra pieces, starting as two teachers in a movement class. This dynamic duo are in perfect sync and comic timing harmony. Their playground set is a sideshow alley of leotards, spot-lit as their various owners take centre stage. Its design is by Cameron Clark and Director and Sound Designer, Lucas Stibbard, who also uses a collection of perfect tunes to showcase a cast of characters that includes a recorder-tooting Irish dancer from Wagga Wagga, a pub pole dancer, a bus load of youth-club touring competitors, and casino chorus liners. There are theatre practitioner in-jokes aplenty, especially when one leotard belongs to an elder stateswoman and ghost of Shakespearean performances past. Sharp lighting design by Christine Felmingham keeps the show moving at pace.

The showstopping number that surely should have been saved for last involved Neridah playing a supergirl in lycra who sashays across the stage to save the day (several times) in a school production where everything goes wrong. This high-calibre, energetic performance is a comedy tour de force and highlights the show's strength in sharp character-driven pieces and totally original sketch writing. This trumps some of the slighter base running gags that let the side down and could be trimmed to lift this show to the heights it deserves. The video montage that leads to the finale is a joyous celebration of women of all shapes and sizes, their self-confidence displayed by their willingness to wear a leotard in public!

Patrons are advised to wear their best dancing shoes to this show! Find out more at: https://metroarts.com.au/leotard-2021

Beth Keehn

Photography by Jade Ellis, Lucas Stibbard and AJ Moller