Cabaret performer and creator Ginava brings their show, ‘MESSY FRIENDS,’ to the Fringe to shed light on the world of “anti-drag” while demonstrating how drag performance can push beyond gendered boundaries. While the message is clear and the emotional heart of ‘MESSY FRIENDS’ is enchanting, the show itself is mildly underwhelming.

Held together through pre-recorded interviews, ‘MESSY FRIENDS’ suffers from a seemingly self-aggrandizing perspective as the artists explain in these interviews and clips how and why what they’re doing is subversive. But good art should speak for itself without the need for explanation and justification.

The different numbers and performers in ‘MESSY FRIENDS’ run the gamut of talent. Ginava’s costume-making skills are unrivaled as they bring cartoon-like characters to life, making the unthinkable possible with Flynn V’s costume that can only be described as “on fire.” BoBBy KnoX’s ability to move seems almost inhuman as they lyrically isolate body parts to create an unforgettable burlesque-type of number.

But as a whole, ‘MESSY FRIENDS’ feels disjointed as a series of numbers performed by artists with various levels of talent. Everyone is enjoyable to watch, with some commanding the stage, the audience, and their personas better than others. While the audience can feel the love and passion emanating from each performer as they come together to create this anti-drag cabaret experience, the pre-recorded interviews take us out of the live-in-the-moment experience.

So much of what the ‘MESSY FRIENDS’ crew seems to promote is existing in the here and now while pushing boundaries, as stated in their ironically pre-recorded interviews. Ginava wants to work with like-minded people who enjoy gender and genre bending, and while the effort is appreciated, this iteration could have pushed the boundaries further than lip-syncing and dancing in extravagant costumes. While some numbers, especially Ginava’s trash can monster’s emotional apex, were worth five stars, the format and delivery of the show turned it into a three-star production.

‘MESSY FRIENDS‘ is at Assembly George Square – Piccolo until Sun 25 Aug 2024 at 20:55