Viki Moananu’s solo show Poofta is labelled as “an attempt to brainwash you into laughing with a poofta” and I am ready to be brainwashed.

As people walk into BATS’ Studo, they are treated to a beautiful live instrumental performed by Lizzy Burton-Wood on tambourine and Nui Mareikura-Ellery on guitar. In between them is Moananu dressed in a silver box labelled POOFTA.I (poofta A.I). with his head down.

The show starts and we are treated to the first musical number about the gay agenda, and it has the whole audience in fits of laughter: a good start. Moananu no longer wears the silver box, but it shall return.

Making jokes about straight people, Moananu asks me if I am straight (I’m not) and then asks if anyone in the audience is straight. There is one straight woman amongst us.

Creating his own version of Simon Says, called Viki Says, we are instructed to repeat after him whenever he says “Viki says” and this leads to some very interesting prompts.

There is an endearing nervous energy from Moananu as he tells us when he goes off script, but that just makes it more funny and causes us to chuckle (ADHD me finds it very relatable). At times Moananu makes some very brutal but hilarious jokes where no-one is safe, and especially not the solo straight woman (he knows her, so it’s ok). I don’t know what he has against Goldilocks from our beloved childhood story but he is roasting her hard in this show so far.

Musical numbers are scattered throughout the show and are transitioned to with ease by Moananu, Burton-Wood, and Mareikura-Ellery, with the latter two occasionally stealing the show! “No-one mourns the poofta” is a recurring line in all songs and has been stuck in my head all night. The context is explained; you’ll have to go watch to find that out, though.

We are taken on a journey through alt right rabbit holes, Roseanne facts, and Destiny Church recruitments in what has become an oddly insightful show that does make you question beliefs, agendas and labels.

Izzi Lao shines on tech with the different clips that get played, music transitions, and even helping boxy Moananu with the microphone stand.

This show is absolutely wild and well thought out and I cannot recall a moment where the audience wasn’t in fits of laughter.  

I do want to note that if you are straight, and particularly a straight male, make sure you can take a good ribbing if you attend as you may be the butt of a lot of jokes, made in jest, but brutal nonetheless. 

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