Queensland’s own shake & stir theatre co in collaboration with Brisbane Festival and QPAC premiered the captivating and raw original Australian production, ‘Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas’ based on a true story that celebrates inclusivity and the diverse world around us Tae learns to overcome adversity and discover the joy in life, family, and a Drag Fairy Godmother.
‘Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas’ was a truly emotive and thrilling night in the theatre for all walks of life. The tale followed Estee ‘Tae’ and her younger sister Annie. Tae was in a car accident and damaged her spinal cord making her paraplegic at 5 years old, now 20 years old, she is sick of constant hospital visits and one night her and her sister had a KFC induced sleepover and wished for epic adventures, they fell asleep and woke up in the magical ‘Land of Yaaas’ with a complementary Drag Queen Fairy Godmother, aptly named Queenie.
The title central character of Tae was played by the enthralling and animated actress, Maya Dove. Maya was an incredible presence onstage. You really felt in the intimate Cremorne Theatre her hurt and frustration about having to go through another spinal surgery. shake & stir’s commitment to inclusivity with a disabled actress in the role kept the story authentic and relevant to any audience member who usually don’t see themselves represented in media or the arts and it made them feel seen.
The unlikely trio used the power of music on a Teac Tape deck and through lip sync performances courtesy of Queenie they travelled back in time to Tae, Annie, their older brother Jamie’s childhood and their potential future to discover their musical anthem, as their ticket out of the mystical ‘Land of Yaaas.’ They learnt about how each family member struggled growing up and how they overcame challenges that disabled people and their families face in addition to the happy core formative moments.
All through a feel-good comedic lens and relatable early 2000’s Australian costumes, props and anecdotes like the Ekka, Wet ‘n’ Wild, So Fresh CD’s, Chatterboxes and more. It took us back to our childhood growing up as 90’s babies in Queensland.
Tae’s dry humour was very evident in this new production as Maya left the audience in stitches on numerous accounts throughout the show. She made light of being in the hospital in a super blunt and hilarious way. A standout moment was when the nurse was treating her like a 5-year-old by giving her colouring books and as soon as she left the room, she was mocking the books and changed the fairytale names to be ‘Sad Bi**h in a tower’ instead of Rapunzel etc.
Maya additionally showcased the relatable feeling of what it is like to feel left out in a friend situation as a kid, but with the added layer of being paraplegic. The sleepover was devastating when she found out she wasn’t invited to the Wet ‘n’ Wild waterpark birthday party. It shows that kids and, in this case, parents can be cruel in a backhanded way.
A joyous moment was when Tae was in the hospital and met a boy who was also in a wheelchair, and she didn’t feel alone anymore as she played a game of Chatterbox with him and was fascinated by the fact that he became disabled through sport.
The relationship between Tae and her Fairy Godmother Queenie was like a sibling relationship, giving life advice one minute and telling each other to ‘shove it’ the next minute. It was so real, and it didn’t feel like they were acting, comparable to a reality show with tangible emotions. The iconic drag queen Maxi Shield from the first season of ‘Rupaul’s Drag Race Down Under’ played the imperfect Drag Queen that made mistakes and just wanted to help Tae and her sister Annie to find their anthem song and get back home. She didn’t treat Tae like she had any limitations at all and had a ‘suck it up princess’ attitude, which was really refreshing to see in a fictional story on stage.
Maxi’s stage debut was a real treat to witness and shake & stir really pulled material from being a drag queen and especially on her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under. With a nod to the Werq Room where she de-dragged and took off her wig in her dressing room as she ‘took a break’ from Fairy Godmother duties. It was brilliant that they added that for the Drag Race fans in the audience.
Maxi’s lip syncs were thoroughly joyous and entertaining whilst helping the girl’s find their songs. She covered some pop superstars like Kylie Monique, Madonna, Katy Perry and Pat Benatar to name a few. Another highlight was when she dressed up as different characters to help the memory along, a standout was dressing in the Juicy Couture pink tracksuit at the sleepover and the other girls pointed out she is more developed than most kids in year 7, Maxi owned it and made it outstandingly comical.
Annie, Tae’s younger sister, was played by shake & stir’s Nelle Lee. Nelle wrote an outstandingly real and down to earth script that kept the audience engaged and invested into the story. The narrative is based on the story of Nelle and her real-life sister, who is paraplegic and their story growing up.
She beautifully captured the heart of real sister relationships. Sometimes, sisters fight, and in the next breath, you are asking what you want from KFC and helping each other out in tough situations. In the play, Nelle gravitated towards playing the younger version of herself of sorts as a 10 or so year old trying to be there for her sister whilst discovering who she is simultaneously.
The sister’s mother was personified by the incomparable Helen Cassidy. Helen played multiple characters. In addition, she showcased her heartbreakingly beautiful portrayal of what it must be like to lose her husband and the father of her kids and find out her daughter has spinal cord injuries on the same day. Following the car accident simulation, her grief quickly seeped into the psyche of the engaged audience, and they felt her anguish.
To juxtapose one of her comedic moments was when Maxi Shield brought on stage a ‘pit crew’ of sorts. It was utterly entertaining, and there were some socks down the front of her pants to emulate a tough guy persona.
The family’s brother was played by brilliant Johnny Balbuziente of ‘Married at first sight’ fame, but also is a key member of the shake & stir family. Johnny personified the older sibling with great compassion and playfulness that you would expect.
Some defining moments were when he took on the role of one of Tae’s childhood friends, Stacey’s’ Mum. The costuming almost replicated Regina George’s Mother from the early 2000s film, Mean Girls. He doned the big chest and pink Juicy Couture tracksuit and nonchalant attitude as mentioned previously, thinking she was doing the right thing by not inviting Tae to the Wet ‘n’ Wild party. The use of voice changing to an evil voice during this scene to portray how Tae remembered how it occurred was executed with flair and hilarity.
Johnny additionally gave an outstanding performance as the potential husband of Tae when they flashforward to a possible future for her. He showcased the unfortunate situation of emotional abuse in a disabled and able-bodied relationship and how he couldn’t handle the stress of taking care of her.
The concept of the show is so important, and shake & stir executed live storytelling like nothing anyone has done before, especially representing the paraplegic community. It normalised a real family in society and didn’t sugar-coat or downplay the experiences these families go through with the assistance of a hilariously imperfect drag queen.
There is no saying no in the Land of Yaaas, so snap up your tickets to a feel-good original homegrown production now! ‘Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas’ is now playing at the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC until 17 September, you don’t want to miss this sensational experience for all to enjoy!
TICKETS || Cremorne Theatre, QPAC
Playing now until 17 September
All images supplied.
The Fame Reporter 