Birdlesque: A sequined love letter to Darwin, the City of Birds

Show Date: 24th July 2026, reviewed by Danielle Aquilina, Zesty Productions ★★★★★

The Flock - courtesy of Flowpyre

Darwin is the city of birds, and these are flocking phenomenal! 

Having recently been introduced to the world of bird watching, it was no surprise to see the vivid array of colours, feathers and funky footed friends that made up “the flock” for the debut season of Birdlesque. 

Staged at the historic Browns Mart Theatre, Birdlesque is the colourful concept child of Brittany Hayward-Brown, who runs the ever-popular Hot Girls Bird Watch group of local queer bird-watching enthusiasts. As our storyteller, MC and Hot Girl Bird Watcher-come-educator, she guides the sold-out audience through a series of Darwin’s best and brightest winged wonders. Grab your pink binoculars and bird-watching guide as you’re dazzled by the array of playful, poignant and pretty bloody hilarious dance and tease routines of several of Darwin’s local and fly-in fauna. 

Equipped with her trusty pink dungarees, MC Brittany sets the mood for a journey through the landscapes that make up Darwin and highlights key components of bird-natomy, mating calls and behaviours most fowl. 

While our first bird may not be native to Darwin, the dancer definitely is. Peacocking their way on stage with pride was our first flavour of the ‘lesque with Darwin’s local grown drag king ‘Big D’. Fedora, feathers and funky beats, Big D brings a back street bravado that matches the male peacock’s ego with flair.  

Local love (for the artist, not the bird, as much as I’d love to see a local flamboyance of them…) then comes back to our next performer in pink, tasselled up and tantalising a treat was ‘Frankie Flamingo’. The art of tease worked beautifully with her extra-lubricated glove removal, which had the whole crowd wild.

‘Fannie Fiasc-Oh’ flaunted onstage with a stunning display of the whistling kite, talons in hand and flowing fans; she set fire to the stage (metaphorically) which wasn’t even the hottest thing about her routine. 

Art, by nature, is political, so it was a privilege to see homage paid to the endangered Gouldian finches found in Binybara (Lee Point) in Darwin. And titillating with feathered nipples was no other than ‘Tilly Rummin’. Complimented with stunning visuals of the local flora and fauna of the area, Tilly brought a moving and memorable motif to the rainbow flyers. 

From moving to madness, a local legend in the bird world was the funny and flamboyant magpie goose ‘Ophelia Handfull’. “I’ve never been so attracted to a goose” was the direct feedback from a lover of the Handfull, and it’s clear to see why. Their cheeky clowning play on the honk from the top, through to the sexy and silly nature of their striptease meant Ophelia was an easy crowd favourite. 

Bringing the flock together for a moment with Tiwi SisterGirl and Darwin Icon Crystal Love-Johnson spread the love as far as their stunning white wings, giving absolute Mother as Mother Bird. 

And what would a burlesque show be without a flappy flouncer of a stage hand? The red-winged parrot ‘Bonnie Appetite’ was all green for go-between sets, clearing the stage with green and red grace!

And we finally feel vindicated when Brittany B*tch brings out the tits (the birds), then brings out the tits for real. The absolute joy and vivacity she has for her fellow flock and shiny sequins makes her truly a bird of all feathers. The racy, raunchy and ridiculous MC reimagined ecology and made it hot!

The costumes were a highlight, the music and lighting were magic, and with a strong sense of joy and justice for birds, Brittany and the flock bring feathers, fun and a flocking good time! If there was a show to see in this year’s Darwin Fringe Festival, it was this one!