17c起草社区

Review: John Waters: Make Trouble, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Tuesday 15 October
By 17c起草社区 contributor RICHIE BLACK

The 17c起草社区 wishes to endorse John Waters鈥� candidacy for the 2020 American elections.听

Granted that may not have much political clout but we鈥檙e trying. You see, unless something drastic happens, in all likelihood, the other guy鈥攖he 鈥淐hosen One鈥�, the Grand Wizard of Mar-a-Lago鈥攚ill win. You know it, I know it. John Waters knows it.

He said as much during his excellent Make Trouble talk, in front of a (mostly) adoring audience at the Sydney Opera House.听

Hilariously, refreshingly offensive as you鈥檇 expect, Waters gave a fair chunk of his 90 minute-performance to riffs on 21st Century US politics, activism and you-know-who.听

From the outset, in fact, the current President wasn鈥檛, uh, far from his lips (we were even asked, 鈥淐an you imagine blowing him?鈥�).听

And then the Pope of Trash said perhaps he, John Waters, should be President. It was a neat gag to rouse the faithful at the beginning of a performance that was part career retrospective, part standup. Let鈥檚 see how literally we can take him.听

For a start, as Waters pointed out, he is highly qualified to make a good run for leader of the free world: being old, white and weird. Box ticked.听

We鈥檒l concede he didn鈥檛 really mean it鈥攂ut then, of course, Trump didn鈥檛 really mean to become President either. People liked him precisely 鈥榗os he was a joke politician鈥攗nlike those other deluded chumps that take it all seriously.

In Donnie鈥檚 case, the people opted for an trash insult comedian. But without being snobby about it鈥攊t鈥檚 pretty low-brow trash. It鈥檚 kinda, well, trashy.听

But John Waters delivers trash with class. He understands the goodness in trash, that shit is not necessarily a pejorative term. He has that great affinity for the elements of human experience pushed to the fringes鈥攖he messy, often funny, sometimes monstrous, business of being.听

Throughout Make Trouble, he delivered style by the steaming shovel-full鈥攁nd by style we鈥檙e talking humanity, eloquence and, yeah, the iconic moustache.

And if it veered into dangerous territory鈥攑rodding certain sensitivities of PC culture until it appeared a few folk actively upped and left (or went to the bathroom together for the rest of the show)鈥攊t was done with empathy. As Waters said, 鈥�滨鈥檓 PC 鈥� that might give pause.鈥�听

By way of example, he spoke of directing a scene in 1972鈥檚 Pink Flamingos where trans actress Elizabeth Williams responds to a (male) harasser by flashing her breasts and penis. Williams, as recalled by Waters, was determined to film the sequence because it meant she 鈥渙wned the joke鈥�.听

The problem, right now鈥攁s Water pointed out鈥攊s that with Trump in charge, it鈥檚 the Republicans that have co-opted said jokes. And these pale-faced jocks, in case you hadn鈥檛 noticed, often punch in a downward direction.听

How to return the power of outrage to those who need it most? Perhaps with Waters in charge. He鈥檇 be a reluctant President鈥攂ut who wants some maniac who鈥檚 keen for the job? He鈥檚 got the combative spirit too, challenging the faithful during Make Trouble, both directly and implicitly, to re-politicise the trouble-maker at the fringes.

What鈥檚 more, he has, helpfully, snuck into the establishment鈥攎aybe letting the rest of us back in too. I mean, he was performing at the Opera House, for fuck鈥檚 sake. This is a place that鈥檚 so establishment鈥攚ith its concrete slabs and wood panelling鈥攖hat it doesn鈥檛 care that it鈥檚 trashy. And yet, there we all sat, John Waters鈥� freakish fans, feeling entirely welcome to laugh at dirty jokes for an hour and a half.听

Waters for Prez!

听鈥� Richie Black is an AWGIE Award-winning actor, journalist and playwright, and a graduate of NIDA (Writing for Performance). He is based in Sydney.听