DarwinVision is a nod to those who regularly dazzle at the international cultural celebration of diversity and extravagance that is Eurovision – with a local twist. This performance showcased six energetic Darwin and Palmerston artistes in a glittering quest to attract the most audience votes for the glory and honour – of their home suburb.
The fun 50-minute show was emceed by Tiwi drag king Big D, opening with comedic musings, crotch-thrusting dance moves and a singalong to the slightly cheeky local song ‘Budju’. Contestants Madii Butifly (representing Zuccoli), Angelina Bristol (Bakewell), Prawn Cracker Spice (Karama), Aaron Cinni (Nightcliff) and Ophelia Handfull (Rapid Creek) confidently strutted their stuff to deliver the promised spectacle of song, dance, burlesque and comedy.
In between each act, the audience were entertained by slides of suburban landmarks which don’t typically appear in tourism campaigns (e.g. Tiwi’s Royal Darwin Hospital, Karama Library), and film clips acknowledging Darwin’s gloriously parochial past – immortalised in old advertising reels from iconic businesses.
The strong audience interest in this show – the season sold out before opening night – validates Darwin Festival’s programming of home-grown shows alongside higher-profile interstate and overseas acts. With this demonstrated level of appeal, the next iteration of DarwinVision might even become a platform for acts from beyond the ‘Palmerston line’, which were apparently absent this time because “no-one can afford the fuel”.
All acts impressed, with highlights including: Madii Butifly’s pole-agility while wearing astonishingly high heels after a mid-performance full costume change; Angelina Bristol’s outstandingly smooth, luxuriant voice; Aaron Cinni’s hilarious choice to dis-robe from chef’s regalia; Prawn Cracker Spice’s marvellous orange winged bodysuit and agile dance moves; and Ophelia Handfull’s sassy technique for imbibing coconut water. Minor hiccups, such as a late start and a tech glitch that prevented the audience seeing the vote count on the big screen, were handled with consummate ease by Big D.
If DarwinVision aimed to demonstrate that rich layers of diverse talents lie hidden in our suburbia – that there’s so much more than crocodiles, cyclones and beach sunsets here – it certainly succeeded.
These talented entertainers each created ‘WOW’ moments for the audience through their spirited performance skills and inventive costuming, augmented by a generous dose of playful flirty-ness and a ‘killer soundtrack’ – very Eurovision. Unlike Eurovision, this was an 18+ show, with a content warning about nudity, strong language and adult concepts. Which, in my experience, is very Darwin.
DarwinVision was performed at Brown’s Mart Studio from 6 – 9 August as part of Darwin Festival 2025
BY LESLEY MERRETT