Type – Drag & Cabaret
If you like – Musical Comedy, The Producers
The Performers: Dolly Diamond and Skank Sinatra scheme in this screwball slapstick comedy feast
I knew we were at a top-notch show when I spied the gorgeous and witty Julia Zemiro in the bar. There had been a definite Mardi Gras vibe as we walked through Darlinghurst and it coalesced, naturally, around Qtopia. Dolly Diamond and Skank Sinatra create the perfect glittering odd couple, and deliver an hilarious hour of musical sketch comedy, with some pretty solid live performances belted out between the lip-synchs.
Loosely structured around a plotline reminiscent of The Producers, Dolly and Skank scheme to pay off their debts by claiming the insurance on a show that’s a flop. When it’s a sell-out, the real panic starts. Drawing on the rich treasures of twentieth-century musicals, they channel Gus Kahn, Bob Fosse, Lloyd-Webber, Kander and Ebb, and even ABBA and Julio Iglesias, amongst others. With witty reworkings of the lyrics, (such as “To All the Shows I’ve Done Before…”) they deliver a screwball slapstick comedy feast from the Marx Brothers to French and Saunders.
Both performers are highly skilled singers and comics, and their combined talents are a smorgasbord of musical comedy from the last century. Sinatra cuts a stunning dramatic silhouette, and can portray either Evita or Pagliacci at will. Diamond is a joy to experience, able to channel Dame Edna, Madeleine Khan and Dawn French in the blink of an eye. Her comic timing and facial expressions make an eyebrow lift hilarious. They are both mistresses of taking the sublime and making it ridiculous, and the audience loved it.
Is The Performers Worth Seeing in Sydney?
The intimate space at The Loading Dock is the ideal size for this kind of show, and easy for the stars to engage in some spontaneous audience embarrassment and light-hearted insults. If you love your musicals, and you love your slapstick comedy, see if you can get a ticket for the final performance before it sells out.
Tickets and Practical Info for The Performers in Sydney 🎟️
Qtopia, The Loading Dock
23 and 24 January 2026
Tickets: https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/The-Performers/
(Friday 20/2 sold out, Saturday 21/2 selling fast)
