今日吃瓜

The chance of two brothers from the same family both becoming professional homosexuals in wigs is not super high 鈥� but Hannah Conda and Tim Collins are living proof that the odds are never zero.

Runner up of season 2 of RuPaul鈥檚 Drag Race Down Under, Hannah Conda is one of Australia鈥檚 most celebrated drag icons, but before the glitz and glamour of the stage, her first major role was being Tim鈥檚 big brother.

鈥淲e haven’t always gotten along as brothers,鈥� Tim told Star Observer. 鈥淭hen I think we’ve both found ourselves in the entertainment space, and that’s kind of鈥� pushed us to get a new level of closeness that we never had growing up.鈥�

Three years younger, Tim is no stranger to dressing up and putting on a show, but tends to stick to an online audience rather than a packed gay bar. So when the pair were asked if they wanted to do a tour together, they weren鈥檛 on board right away.

鈥淭he longer we sat in that space of like, 鈥榗an we do this?鈥� the more chaotic and unhinged we thought it would be.鈥�

is exactly that: campy, over-the-top, laugh-out-loud musical numbers, and just a sprinkling of unresolved childhood trauma.

鈥淭he last time I was on stage was our Year 10 production of Spamalot,鈥� said Tim. 鈥淪o I knew that coming into this space, I really had to, like, listen to what Hannah was saying and take her lead, because being on stage is her bread and butter.

鈥淵ou have to learn how to work with each other as adults, and not fall into that sibling dynamic. Because we’re now in our thirties, we both have had respectable careers in creative spaces. We can’t be like, 鈥榳ell YOU reversed into my Suzuki Swift in 2011!鈥欌�� he laughs.

鈥淲e’ve kind of been able to teach each other things that we both do quite well, and I think that’s been really interesting.鈥�

However, amongst all the gags and costumes, the pair have found a new level of intimacy, not just with each other, but with their audiences. There鈥檚 something special about a creator revealing a different part of themselves to the public, and it doesn鈥檛 get much more personal than family.

 

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鈥淚 think the best compliment that we had came the other night when someone said, 鈥榯his just feels like we’re sitting in your lounge room with your family. We’re a part of your family now鈥�, and that’s exactly what we want people to feel,鈥� Hannah said.

鈥淚 want them to feel seen, heard, loved, and feel like they’re coming out with a belly full of laughs, on top of the world. I think we provide that really well, and we leave on a high. We have a dance at the end with everyone, and just, it’s a feel-good experience.鈥�

So, can the pair really put on shows night after night together without killing each other?

鈥淚 think if you asked me that question at the end of our Perth run, I would have been like, 鈥業’m cancelling. I hate it here, I’m not doing it,鈥欌�� Tim laughs. 鈥淏ut we’ve actually had the most fun doing the Adelaide Fringe so far. We’re finding our feet in the show, and it’s feeling like a lot of fun to do.

鈥淏ut maybe ask us at the end of the tour again if we’ve survived.鈥�

Brothers in Wigs is , and then Brisbane Comedy Festival in May.