A Saucy, Seven-Course Musical at Boggy Creek Farm
Jade Fusco’s activist interactive recruited members of Ley Line, BluMoon, and more
Reviewed by Carys Anderson, Fri., Nov. 24, 2023
Not every farm is relegated to the middle of nowhere. Nestled in the Govalle neighborhood of East Austin, less than a mile from Kinda Tropical and the Canopy creative complex, Boggy Creek Farm grows and sells fruits and vegetables using regenerative, no-till practices. Last Saturday, the homestead team welcomed a group of local musicians – known collectively as the Sublime Paradigm Supper Club – to the land to host Fables From the Farm, a celebration of sustainable agricultural processes complete with musical theatre and, of course, homegrown food.
Curated by Jade Fusco, the debut multidisciplinary event paired classical theatre with the kind of saucy, irreverent antics you'd expect from a ragtag team of Austin artists. Donning face-paint and nature-inspired costumes, the "Boggy Bards" – including Égaux Sells of BluMoon, Nnedi Agbaroji of Trouble in the Streets, Carrie Fussell of BRUCE (and formerly Calliope Musicals), and Emilie Basez of Ley Line – weaved between audience members as they sang a jazzy introduction to their "sublime paradigm," to "remember our endeavor to be healthy and kind."
The seven-course tasting tour coincided with stops throughout the farm at an oak tree, irrigation well, and composting station. Via spoken word or song, the crew relayed the history of the land, where Sam Houston once stayed at the guest house, and offered relevant best practices: Never throw citrus or meat scraps in your fertilizer bin. After every lesson, guests were treated to elaborate small plates, which ranged from acorn cake smoked with wild mesquite to dandelion custard to radish-infused water topped with basil seeds.
Of course, sustainability and social justice go hand in hand, and the Supper Club proved unafraid to delve into Austin's more unsavory history. In one segment, two poltergeist Southern belles enacted a picnic spent groveling about how the "insidious plague of racism" infected their brains. Thankfully, with a lift of their veils, local "pleasure priestexx" Gothess Jasmine stopped the white guilt, bellowing, "Are you done yet? I've been hearing this same shit since 1863."
"I think they feel safer staying stuck," the dominatrix said, informing the age-diverse crowd that man's sins can only be forgiven if they stop wallowing and direct their energies to tangible change. "Now go and haunt our politicians," Jasmine commanded, calling for a cease-fire.
With an aphrodisiac smoothie, the performers soon invited guests into the "Corridor of Love," switching gears from angry to sexy. Tosin Awofeso muttered a slow jam about the sensuality of food – "turnips on my nips," "Brussels on my muscles," "rapini on my peni," you get the picture – while his fellow artists indulged in corn, carrots, and, of course, a shared peach. Fussell had to break the spell, ushering the crowd onto the next spot. "Nothing lasts forever," she quipped.
The two-hour event, performed thrice over the weekend, wrapped with a chocolate truffle and the aptly titled composition "Relish" ("It can really be that simple/ Slow down and look around at the beauty abounding for you"). Fusco and company thanked Boggy Creek owner Carol Ann Sayle and culinary captain chef Ciara Blossom from the Kaya Cafe. As Thanksgiving looms, the organizers wrapped with a nod to mutual aid organizations keeping Austin fed.
If eating is an act of communion, this unconventional activist interactive achieved downright holiness.
