Lesbian Cabaret artist Shirley Billing returns to the stage in her two part Midsumma show, The Billing Method , featuring special guests SLIT.

Part one is a brilliant untitled performance piece by the girls from SLIT; Francesca Sculli and Sarah Pheasant.

This dramatic contemporary circus duo take the audience on a captivating visual and physical performance exploring relationships and personal happiness within them. Their work is intense and melancholic , with a good dose of black humour. It is performed by two women, and yet it translates beyond gender into something that anyone in the audience can relate to. The work is about 20 minutes long, but the time flies as you watch the dramatic emotional sparks fly between the two women with hardly a word spoken.

Director Anni Davey has helped create some amazing work over the years, and her direction of the girls in SLIT is spot on. It is the first time I’ve encountered the SLIT girls, and I can confidently say that they’ve gained a fan. I’m looking forward to their next work.

After a brief intermission, the super talented Shirley Billing brings us part two of the show – The Billing Method. The show hilariously plays on the stereotype of the humourless lesbian.

Shirley is out of sorts. She’s a bit down and things don’t feel right, and that’s when she realizes that she’s lost her sense of humour and it’s been lost for a long time. Of course she blames her family. Then one by one she introduces the audience to that family; A comical array of loved characters that Billing has created over the past 20 years, all of whom weigh in on her lost sense of humour.

You really understand the extent of Billing’s talent when you see her inhabit her characters, transforming in front of your eyes. It’s quite remarkable. Particular favourites include her nerdy school girl Cybil and her transgendered brother (a fabulously tipsy cruise ship entertainer). Together they make up a motley crew indeed that Billing herself describes as Australia’s most appalling showbiz family.

The results are quite funny, and the performance on the whole was very entertaining and enjoyable. The downer for me was that the comedy at times felt very forced, like she was trying too hard. If she had only pulled it back a bit, it would have been a lot more effective. Also, I’m quite familiar with Billing’s work and I was so hoping to see some new characters and a slightly deeper work. But then again, that’s just me and I tend to like things a bit darker.

Billing might have lost her sense of humour in the show, but I’m sure you’ll find yours watching it.

You’ve got just one more chance to catch The Billing Method as it plays for the final time this Midsumma Season at Gasworks Arts Park on Feb 4th at 7:15pm. Head down and check out the family insanity.