Fangirls

Overview

To anyone who's ever seen a boy band struggle to croon over the screams of an enraptured crowd, the energy from the adolescent girls losing their minds would seem enough to solve the looming global energy crisis. Is it clean? Not always. But there are 60 years worth of gig footage — from The Beatles to One Direction — that classifies this energy as renewable.

Belvoir is bringing back its super-popular production Fangirls, after selling out when it first debuted back in 2019. This time, however, it'll be taking over a stage at the Seymour Centre to allow for a bigger performance — while abiding COVID-19 restrictions, of course.

The musical peeks into the poster-plastered bedroom and love-heart-emblazoned diary of teen girl fandom. It's a celebration of the time in your life when you're convinced the haircuts of a pop group may well bring civilisation to its knees. It's witty and fun, sure. But writer and lyricist Yve Blake also probes an insidious double standard: Why is it that when boys cry at the footy, that's the love of the game, but when girls cry at a Justin Bieber concert, that's pathetic?

Through protagonist Edna (Karis Oka), a city girl conspiring to confess her undying love to True Connection frontman Harry (Aydan), Fangirls also examines the sorts of messages sold to young women as well as the power of the modern fan. In the age of the internet, pubescent devotees are a coveted market, but they are also the new talent scouts, organising online to confer godhood on anybody playing acoustic guitar in their bedroom, rhyming 'your face' with 'gotta get out of this place'.

Directed once again by Paige Rattray, the 2021 production will star a mix of new and returning cast members, with Oka taking over from Blake as the lead.

Fangirls is boppy and sugary in spades. But it also asks you to spare a thought for those crying, screaming and full of joy in the front row. They're going through a hugely transformative time. And, they may be the ones keeping your lights on in years to come.

Fangirls is a Belvoir St Theatre co-production with Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival in association with Australian Theatre for Young People. It is showing from January 30–February 20, 2021. After a sell-out show last year, be sure to get your tickets stat, which you can do over here.