God's Mistake Review by Jaynie Ng

Who doesn’t love some religious satire? Probably the clergy. Who doesn’t love a good PowerPoint? Also possibly the clergy – if unauthorised fire and unsalted chicken have a good shot of landing you in hell according to the Old Testament, I wouldn’t be surprised if a cheeky preso did too. Georgia Drewe presents her solo debut, God’s Mistake, a performance that unites many sexy things – religion, BDSM and slideshows.

As we settle into our seats, Drewe, dressed in a habit hands us each a communion wafer. Before the show formally starts, this simple act primes the audience, positioning us as active participants for the evening rather than passive spectators. God’s Mistake then opens with a run of unforgettable moments: reciting prayer, hell-damning acts from the Old Testament, eating cardboard masquerading as a communion wafer. Drewe escorts us through her naive, conservative upbringing in the church, including being blamed for the male gaze, before turning to moments that instigate religious doubt – including her queer catalyst – Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Her autobiographical sequences enrich God’s Mistake beyond religious satire. When Drewe contemplates ‘leaving the only love [she] had ever known’, the prospect of losing both her community and identity gives the show poignancy, complicating an otherwise cheeky and iconoclastic perspective on religion. Through satire, she exposes the absurdity of religious guilt and shame without dismissing the sincere loss that comes with leaving the church.

The set is minimal – a projector serving as a stained glass backdrop and slide show keeps Drewe front and centre. Drewe’s ingenious use of a slide show throughout the performance keeps the show’s energy high, injecting personality and humour into her stories. The casual slides serve both as visual punchlines in a characteristically modern style and to help anchor the somewhat loose narrative structure. However, at times, her positioning on stage obscured the text, weakening her witty remarks.

Drewe’s performance as a nun begins with a theatrical presentational manner, reminiscent of a pastor tending to their congregation. She pairs her personal anecdotes with religious commentary, consistently eliciting laughter and enthusiasm. The participatory scenes amplify the religious irreverence, quickly establishing rapport with us and craft a confident and strong overall impression. In the second half, as her dominatrix persona solidifies, her characterisation shifts between conversational address and intimate confessionals. These transitions feel abrupt and their frequency leaves us with little time to emotionally adjust. At times, it was unclear whether a moment called for laughter, reflection or emotional investment. This constant recalibration adds some friction to the latter half of the show, and diminishes a few punchlines in an otherwise entertaining performance. Despite this, both as a nun and as a dominatrix, Drewe shines with her commanding charisma, precise comic timing and expressive physicality.

Drewe uses the structures and rituals of religion to examine both her personal experiences and our collective desire for connection. Her reflections on her past four years as a dominatrix draw surprising parallels with religion, balancing authentic insight with the absurdly outrageous. This is best encapsulated through the act of communion. The communion ritual introduced at the beginning returns in the finale, when Drewe takes an audience member through it again… this time as a dominatrix. This ritual is reinvented into a BDSM performance, creating a satisfying sense of circularity at the show’s conclusion.

The show’s burlesque marketing misses the genre’s conventions, but as an autobiographical, multimedia show, God’s Mistake is vibrant and unapologetic. Drewe’s personal history makes this show more than just sacrilegious and adds the perfect level of emotional weight as she dissects religion and personal identity.

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Jaynie Ng attended God’s Mistake at Qtopia Sydney on Wednesday 23 September