Charmian Hughes- Bra Trek

Charmian Hughes- Bra Trek

18-21 March 9.30pm The Studio BATS Theatre

A fairy godmother appears in your kitchen where you’ve been kept as an impoverished hostage for years, and grants you three wishes…are you really sure you want to waste a wish on marriage to a stranger who found your mangy old shoe?

London comedian Charmian asks - what if all the magical fairy tales you ever heard were designed to make you obey the status quo and ‘know your place’? Isn’t it time to stop trying to stuff the fat feet of our fantasies into the glass slipper of reality?

Charmian’s Bra Trek invites Humanity to Bust out of the corsetry of the stereotypes that bind us and Boldly Go in search of our true selves.

The show runs from 18-21 March at The Studio @BATS theatre, I Kent Terrace, Wellington as part of the NZ Fringe – Charmian’s second visit after a joyful 2017 run of her show ‘Soixante Mirth’.

Charmian explains: ‘As a child in a theatrical family in 1960’s London, I was often taken to the pantomime and ballet, but was always disappointed by the ‘happy endings’. To me a happy ending would be Cinderella riding off into the sunset on the mice that had been turned into horses. Maybe accompanied by the nice handyman ‘Buttons’ who liked her for who she was, which seems a good blueprint for a relationship. But no, she had to marry a prince whose main attraction was being…a prince. What a sell-out!!’

To this end Charmian started thinking about the other stories that instruct us to dream on but stay stuck. ‘The ugly sister can never be redeemed. Who says she’s ugly? Maybe she is beautiful inside. But in fairy tales, quite frankly, no one cares! Society is saying, if you are female and you are not Cinderella, you can only be an ugly sister or a wicked stepmother. So, watch out and behave!’

So where does Star Trek come in? ‘It’s a metaphor. Captain Kirk is like the fairy godmother and Prince Charming all in one. He goes to new worlds, tries to sort them out, and then gives the alien love interest a big smoochy kiss.’

This is Charmian Hughes’ second visit to the NZ Fringe.

2017’s Soixante Mirth comedy show garnered great reviews during performances at Auckland Fringe’s Q Theatre, Dunedin’s Fortune Theatre, as well as BATS:

‘A class above other stand-ups-a great entertainer not to be missed’ Dominion Post

‘Funny and profound’ Theatreview.

Charmian is thrilled to be returning to New Zealand and Bra Trek will also be performed at the Auckland Fringe (Garnet Station 1-4 March) and Dunedin Fringe (Fortune Theatre11-14th March 8.pm

Charmian has been performing her stand up since 1987 when she ran away from her job in advertising to join the circus.

She has performed at eight Edinburgh festivals, compered the comedy and theatre stages at Glastonbury at almost every festival since 1990.

In 2016 she was nominated UK Comedian’s Comedian and also Best Comedy Show at the Buxton Fringe 2016.

‘Like Josie Long’s mum’ Chortle UK

‘Four Stars’ Funny Women UK

Bra Trek is directed by award winning comedian Jessica Fostekew (BBC’s Motherland, Radio’s The Guilty Feminist, Knightmare )

Book online at bats.co.nz or call (04) 802 4175

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