B-Girl

Overview

Where the hell did iOTA go? After melting faces in Smoke & Mirrors, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Baz Lurhman's The Great Gatsby and, most recently Mad Max: Fury Road (he was the Doof Warrior), and holding five albums, eleven singles, six ARIA nominations, and a Helpmann, Green Room and Sydney Theatre Award under his belt, the award-winning, gender bending glam rocker just disappeared into the night. We thought we'd said something, we thought he'd never call again. But it seems the performative prince is riding back into town, to break hearts, take names and bring a brand new stage production to the Sydney Opera House: B-Girl.

Directed and co-written by iOTA and longtime collaborator Craig Ilott, B-Girl sounds like a whole world of unpindownable, glamorous drama. Part rock 'n' roll, part vaudevillian cabaret, the show follows the plight of B-Girl (played by acclaimed Australian performer and Belvoir/Bell Shakespeare favourite Blazey Best), a troubled lass whose less-than-desirable circumstances lead her to use her imagination to escape into glam rock euphoria and create her own powerful alter ego: Clifford North (played by iOTA). Sounds like Swan Lake meets Sucker Punch.

If you're wondering whether this new production will come anywhere near as daring and heartbreaking as the sell-out festival smash Smoke & Mirrors, the entire award-winning S&M team are the ones cranking the gears on B-Girl. Think live onstage band, all-original music, epic production value — all housed inside the Playhouse Theatre. "Smoke & Mirrors was really our first go and the experience has brought us closer together as people," says iOTA. "We trust each other, we’re a better team — B-Girl will reflect that."

Tickets on sale to the general public Tuesday, March 3.