Backwards Anorak’s A Hip Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the perfect cabaret show for wild, wacky times and extra-terrestrial mischief. Dressed like drunk hipsters with neon jackets and wolf tees, a couple of aliens from the distant planet of Keshawana arrive on Earth. Prince Harian (Vince Milesi), accompanied by his slave girl, Minge (Michelle Braiser), is on the quest to find his one true love – a mysterious Earthling named Siri.
This tale of unexpected romance successfully escapes cliché with its brazen use of zany scenarios that are anything but grounded in reality. For example, Harian and Minge stumble upon a copy of Frankie magazine while travelling in space. From the magazine, the aliens come to a conclusion that humans ‘do not care that their photo is being taken’. This results in an amusing presentation in how humans interact, or more specifically, how to respond to a passer-by asking, ‘What time is it?’. Accompanied by pianist James Baker, the couple sing and perform many popular duets throughout the show. From Vengaboys’ ‘We Like to Party’ to ABBA’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’, this intergalactic duo are highly entertaining in their surprisingly pitch perfect harmony.
Milesi is hilariously bizarre as the obnoxious bully, Harian. He dances like a deranged rag doll, blatantly utilises hand puppets as an excuse for inappropriate groping, and frequently employs coarse sexual humour. All in all, Milesi performs with incredible ease, which allows his portrayal of such an insufferable, eccentric character to be all the more likeable.
As the slave girl, Braiser is horribly bullied by Milesi’s character throughout most of the show, but she still manages to be an equal match for Milesi’s outlandish behaviour, displaying great comic timing and expressing vulnerability while still being very funny.
It would be easy to dismiss the show’s slapstick humour for lowbrow hijinks, but Milesi and Braiser display a sincere love for good-hearted fun that makes A Hip Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a terrific comedy. Their outrageous antics result in a weird, but hysterical take on human nature that makes for an incredibly enjoyable show.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
A Hip Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Produced by Backwards Anorak
Featuring Vince Milesi, Michelle Brasier and James Baker
The Butterfly Club, Melbourne
2 – 6 July
Melbourne Cabaret Festival
www.melbournecabaret.com
26 June – 7 July
