Marvelous at Fringe World: cosplay goes crazy with plenty of tits and ass

The creator of kinky parody production, MARVELous, which is currently on at Fringe World in Perth, appears to be one of those hard-working artists who wears many hats. Samwise Holmes produces, directs, narrates and appears in the show – albeit not as one character, but two. That’s a heck of a lot when you’ve also got to consider the accounting involved, public relations, and so on. But the hard work appears to have paid off, for MARVELous: A Risque Parody is one of the standout shows playing at this year’s festival.

It’s got lights, it’s got lasers, it’s got visuals that help tell it’s story, and it’s got action – plenty of action.

This theatrical production is an adult-oriented parody of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, blending comedy, satire, aerial performance, stunts, live vocals, dance and strip-tease. Framed as a kind of outrageous and bawdy bedtime story narrated by a Deadpool-like character (Holmes himself), the show takes beloved superhero tropes and familiar moments from iconic films and re-imagines these as laugh-out-loud spectacles with twists that both poke fun at, and affectionately celebrate, the source material.

Costumes of each of the characters are on-point, from Captain America’s sexy, tight head-to-toe attire, to Iron Woman and the Scarlet Witch’s body-shaping wear, certain parts occasionally highlighted by LED additions.

The performers are great at switching roles, too (you often get that in cosplay), with co-lead man Jacob McPherson, for example, playing Spider-Man one minute, Bucky the next, and Hawkeye the next. Andrea Zappacosta holds her own, too, playing both the Scarlet Witch and fulltime trouble-maker, Loki.

This is a fun show that offers plenty of burlesque moments (albeit to a faster beat) that you’d expect from Fringe, but while it’s subtitle has the words ‘risque parody’ in it, tastefully there’s no full-frontal – although plenty of boobs and ass.

Audiences are treated to high-energy choreography, eye-catching costumes, clever pop cultural references (including nods to films like Dirty Dancing and Magic Mike, alongside all the expected Marvel gags), and a soundtrack of rock songs – mainly of the 80s long-haired band variety.

Expect a night of irreverent fun and fine physiques.

Michael Mastess

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