It’s the season of Fringe down in Naarm, and our reviewer – Pseudonym: Fig Vinegar – has been on the scene taking on their own personal challenge to dive head first into what’s on offer this fringe season. Below you can find all of Fig Vinegar’s reviews and what they think is the best on offer in the arts for October.
Shows in this article include:
- How to Art
- Conversations with a Fried Egg
- Beauty and the Beast
- Elephant Rope
- Chip On Her Shoulder
- Melbourne Fringe Festival – Tash York’s Chaos Cabaret
- Quelched! The Musical – Chapel Off Chapel
- A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Cruising
- Knows, No’s Nose
- Horse Girls
- Dead Mum
- Changeling
- Cake – The Last Bite
- Birds
- Pursuing Pleasure
- Sky Could Be Blue
- Queer Enough?
How to Art
Presented by Ratbags Theatre and Claudia Harris.
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/how-to-art
8th – 19th October
Festival Hub: Trades Hall – Meeting Room
4.5 STARS
How to Art is a work of modern art; a beautifully crafted, uplifting hour of high-energy physical comedy and clowning
Warning: This delectable display of fruit-based clowning will likely send you into an hour of continuous giggles. How To Art is, as I’d hoped, a critique of the self-seriousness of the gallery art world, but never so overtly as to take on any pretentiousness of its own. More than anything, it is a highest-energy physical comedy caper involving two very silly bananas (Katie Burson & Georgie Llewellyn), a gallery attendant with a breath-taking god complex (Bronwyn Ensor), and the audience- not just the front row!
Stirring from their slumber blanketed in the infamous silver duct tape of Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian, the bananas follow their childlike curiosity to discover their bodies, their voices, each other, the architecture, and the audience. It transpires that the soul(/s) of a piece of modern art is actually far more innocent and joyful than one might imagine. The bananas progressively become bolder, and when their mischief starts to get out of control, the action culminates in a sudden and electrifying auction. The audience find themselves vying for the chance to purchase the bananas but are also ostensibly bidding real money on a piece of (high quality) show merchandise.
Everything about this show is beautifully designed, with every set piece and prop proving Chekhov’s gun for the bananas to explore with unparalleled levels of enthusiasm. Their sense of wonder and fun truly transforms the little Meeting Room into an ostentatious and exclusive gallery space. I was especially impressed by Ensor’s gallery attendant/auctioneer, finding the way she continuously wrestled power back from the bananas quite as transfixing as it was hilarious; it is no mean feat to match the energy brought by two performers clowning at the 11th level of intensity for a straight hour.
This is a work that is very special in its intrinsic lack of ego despite its excellence, and one that will keep you anchored in the present until the very last minute. Go!
Conversations with a Fried Egg
Presented by Big Dog Theatre.
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/conversations-with-a-fried-egg
7th – 18th October
Meat Market – Craft Room
4.5 STARS
A charismatic and absurdist night of comedic brilliance that leaves you with a profound craving for an omelette
Tucked away in a corner of Meat Market is a show about three rats (Luce Wirthenson, Ivy Crago, Maxine Palmerson) and an oddly charismatic fried egg (Maddi Formosa). Yes, the rats are hungry, but what for? It transpires each of them has their own inner world and sense of family obligation to be tending to, and each their own fragilities to vulnerably offer up to their new best friend, Egg. Because Egg is the antidote, aren’t they? Egg would never hurt them.
Delivered by a committed and symbiotic ensemble, this work will give you existential volleying, 80s-style dance breaks, deftly executed physical comedy, and a profound craving for an omelette. It is beautifully acted, and whilst clearly absurdist it is also gently thoughtful without ever actually becoming dry. Now, I’ll admit to not having seen many (or any) fried eggs wax philosophical on stage, but this egg stands out continuously for their natural comedic brilliance, and, ultimately, for their ability to instill a sense of unease with nothing but their gooey omnipresence and a fiercely applied glitter eye.
I am of the opinion that this should be one of the major purposes of fringe theatre as a whole: to feel empowered to take hold of your strangest, most niche-feeling idea and absolutely swing for the fences. In a context where you have the opportunity to do whatever you want without fear of it being watered down by the opinions of so many controlling stakeholders, do not hesitate- simply build the work as successfully as you can and its audience will come.
Surprisingly touching and a little mind-bending in its magic-realism take on loneliness-sans-aloneness, Conversations with a Fried Egg is not to be missed.
Beauty and the Beast
Presented by Kissing Booth.
Tickets: https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2025/beauty-and-the-beast
7- 11 October
Theatre Works
3.5 STARS
A queer, contemporary and debaucherous take on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
If you grew up on Beauty and the Beast but feel now that it lacks overt queerness to it, you’re in tremendous luck! Not to spoil anything, but you’ll be greeted by an extremely strong projected visual as you enter the space- one which will leave you in no doubt as to exactly how much Disney energy you can expect from the show (none). In this 2025-set adaptation, a young man brings his partner and their son to visit his (enchanted?) uncle in his castle, but this particular family holiday features a fair few more debaucherous temptations and mysterious oaths than they were expecting.
Whilst the dialogue is very well-written and the characterisation engaging, Theatre Works is an excessively large space compared to most that are used for Fringe, and with no set to speak of there is nothing to dampen the echoing of raised voices. Despite receiving regular shouts of laughter, the result is that a lot of the text was unable to be heard. Of what I could perceive, a feature I found particularly interesting was the continuous devolvement of the style into that more appropriate to an 18th Century fairy tale. This is referenced by the characters and is a satisfying source of comedy, but also a cleverly insidious source of horror.
There was something of a lack of clarity surrounding the identity and role of some of the characters that did not seem deliberate; I think if this adaptation was written by drawing on different versions of Beauty and the Beast lore it probably required less assumptions of prior knowledge in the audience and slightly more exposition. On a related note, the theme of a much more realistic bleakness than the fairy tale tropes used is briefly visited and then never referenced again. The intention of this is unclear, as it does not seem to inform anything beyond this scene even by subtle implication.
Overall, this is a unique take on the inverted fairy tale strand, and I enjoyed the surprises it delivered.
Elephant Rope
Presented by Scary Goats Theatre. Written by Richard Mealey, directed by Kate Weston, and produced by Jess Budin
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/elephant-rope
29 September – 11 October
The Motley Bauhaus
4.5 STARS
An unflinching, uncensored and uplifting exploration into the depths of ones psyche – a gift of authenticity
In this deeply moving, incredibly personal portrayal of mental anguish, crushing loneliness, and suicidal ideation, surprising levity is found- in fact, it’s found quite often. Waking up in hospital unable to remember how he got there, Jeph (Richard Mealey) word-tussles with the stern figure of Doctor Sidney (Sass Pinci), a psychiatrist who will reveal little of anything except how impossibly well she knows Jeph and the depth of the Depression he is mired in. The absurdity of Sidney’s unfeeling response to Jeph’s grim mental state is, in itself, too ghastly to be the main source of comedy, but it forms the basis for a colourful journey that transports him from this state to somewhere quite different.
Elephant Rope is an astute, unflinching examination of the way that we are vulnerable to accepting our own perceived limitations regardless of our objective capacity to fight them. It depicts in depth the psyche of a person retreating inside their mind both to self-flagellate and to self-protect, but it is also very funny and surprising in the way that it enjoys pulling the rug out from under us more than once, showing a masterful control of tone. Mercilessly berated by the voice of his inner saboteur, Jeph ultimately digs deep and finds an untapped reserve of resilience and self-appreciation. It is an uplifting piece in its uncensored approach to contouring this journey.
This wonderfully clever work is also a tribute to the importance of asking for help when you need it. It is a gift of specificity and non-performative authenticity that can only be given by someone who has lived through such times and chosen to funnel those experiences into art. The gift is greatly appreciated.
Chip On Her Shoulder
Produced, developed, and performed by Vanessa Buckley, written and directed by Jen McAuliffe.
Tickets: https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2025/chip-on-her-shoulder
7 – 11 October
Explosives Factor
4.5 STARS
A funny, raunchy and intimate exploration of breaking the isolation when you move to a new city
Kate is an Aussie in New York, pulling double shifts as a nurse until her big Broadway break pokes its head out from the wings. On a seemingly endless loop that is hurting her more than she wants to examine, she auditions, she dates, and she eats crisps like they’re going out of style (don’t worry, she shares with the audience). Then, just when she finds she needs her the most, Kate’s therapist breaks up with her.
Anyone who has ever tried to make it in a new city and an unforgiving career at the same time will find particular meaning in Chip On Her Shoulder; it speaks to the heartache and loneliness of having to devote all your time and energy to the work that is simply meant to keep you alive, whilst continuously holding the anxiety of feeling the clock is ticking on your real dream, and all without the comfort and warmth of anything that could be called “home”. Couple that with having to navigate the warzone of the modern dating scene whilst stuffing down half-addressed historic traumas and it is dubious to imagine that the “big break” would heal you even if it did arrive. But you keep going anyway.
Chip On Her Shoulder is a brave study in what it really takes to break the isolation forming around you when it seems most impossibly dense- how far back in one’s personal history might one need to visit to move oneself forwards? Moreover, it is funny, a little raunchy, philosophically intimate, and a sweet ode to all the small moments found in the healing journey itself. As a particular fan of chips myself (a salt & vinegar apologist, no less), I approve.
Tash York’s Chaos Cabaret
Presented by Big Hair Productions & Matthew Liersch, created by Tash York.
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/tash-yorks-chaos-cabaret
3 – 5 October
Festival Hub: Trades Hall – ETU Ballroom
5 STARS
An irresistibly fun and chaotic evening that throws unscripted challenges mid-performance at world-class cabaret performers
The ticketholder line for Tash York’s Chaos Cabaret decorates the full length of the staircase beside the ballroom and ends up flirting with Lygon Street. Once in, the air is thick with excitement. If it were tension, you’d probably say you could cut it with a butter knife. Tash York, the undisputed queen of Australian drag cabaret, has a good hour of surprises in store for us.
Chaos Cabaret is a variety roster showcasing the best of the best in fringe cabaret and drag- we’re talking staggering degrees of talent. On this night alone we are treated to “The Party Prince of Perth” Flynn V, heavily decorated cabaret royalty Geraldine Quinn, and Yummy-famous drag artist Valerie Hex. As each icon takes to the stage to perform their prepared number, they do so with the knowledge that the sound of an air horn could, at any moment, herald York throwing a spanner in the works of their act. Will she speed the music up? Change the track entirely? Will she release a horde of people in inflatable penis costumes?
Either way, York is irresistible as host, and she peppers the evening with her own riotously funny improvised songs born of wild suggestions from the audience. Chaos Cabaret is a democratic setup, and we in the audience vote from our phones on everything from who takes York’s mischief in their stride the best to whether the next round’s song should be a Charli xcx or Dua Lipa themed improvisation. It’s neck and neck, but Geraldine Quinn ultimately reigns supreme (I voted for you, Geraldine!). And that’s no spoiler, as this show is naturally completely different every night!
It’s all infectiously delightful. The laughter and cheers come thick and fast, sometimes even before you notice you’re letting them out. If you feel you’re in need of loosening up without even standing up out of your chair, this show is the one for you.
Quelched! The Musical
Presented by UMMTA (University of Melbourne Music Theatre Association)
Tickets: Melbourne Fringe Festival – Quelched! The Musical
2 – 4 October
Chapel Off Chapel
3 STARS
An original and lyrical Broadway style musical about the high school dating scene that felt a little undercooked but has great potential
The concept of this show is fantastically ridiculous and feels very original; Phil is a young man who, dissatisfied with his life, decides to take a chance on sending a dick pic to his high school crush over a new dating app called Quelch. When the recipient notices that that particular part of Phil bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Christian Bale, a chain of events is set off that catapults Phil into fame and other dangers far faster than he can prepare for it.
The audience are very much along for the ride. The lyrics are clever and often hysterical, and we are startled into laughter many times- not least because of the horribly slurpy noise triggered by notifications from the Quelch app. For the most part, the cast is full of energy and work well together as an ensemble. I notice quite early on that the entire show is scored a little too high; if it were only one or two performers struggling to get up there, you’d put that down to miscasting. If the entire cast is having difficulty in the supposedly beltier parts, you know the music needs looking at. It feels unfair to these performers, who are giving their all in these moments despite the music simply not sitting within their range.
The melodies themselves are fun if not particularly memorable, but once the surprises are mostly over and the predictable shape of the narrative settles into place before us, the pace does start to drag a little; predictability in and of itself is completely fine in musical theatre so long as each some advances the plot and there’s no doubling up on the function that they serve. This show also suffers from the peculiar ailment affecting too much fringe theatre at the moment; use of American accents for no apparent reason. There is not one reference to place or exclusively American brands or concepts in the script. In the context of the genre I understand that directors may think references to tropes within the Broadway-style musical itself will go unappreciated if they’re not signposted in this way, but this is an outdated line of thinking. It pays to give your audience a bit more credit.
All in all, a fun time despite the problems, all of which seem quite solvable. There is obvious potential in Quelched! to live a long and colourful life with a little polishing.
A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Cruising
Created and performed by AJ Lamarque
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/a-beginners-guide-to-gay-cruising
29 Sept – 5 October
Grouse Melbourne – Room 7
4.5 STARS
A sincere, self-aware and thoroughly entertaining hour of comedy and storytelling about boarding an explicitly queer-friendly cruise ship
AJ Lamarque greets every audience member with a sincerely warm welcome and a choice between a Mars Bar, a Milky Way, and a Dairy Milk. This is the type of bait I am always going to take, but he really needn’t have worried; this was decidedly one of the most enjoyable hours I have spent at Fringe ‘25 so far.
Occupying an intimate, cosily lit room in the back of Grouse, A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Cruising is an hour of stand-up comedy themed around the Sydney-based comic’s first time on an explicitly queer-friendly cruise ship- though he hastens to add that Fitzroy Gardens is just around the corner if anyone had been hoping for the other kind of gay cruising. The storytelling is playful and thoroughly engaging and, even within a style that can faithfully be described as “storytelling”, the jokes are plentiful. It’s the kind of comedy-hour that makes you wish the 60 minutes would last longer.
Lamarque makes a point of the fact that this show is not just for gay men. It is in fact carefully written to balance accessibility of the material through thoughtful and amusing descriptions of certain concepts (it is, after all, a beginner’s guide) against a fair assumption of our prior knowledge (why the hell did that cruise line take 1,000 gay men to visit Burnie??) Lamarque approaches every topic with a very likable brand of polite curiosity. He is conscious of the intersecting privileges that allow him to zero in on the topic of a gay cruise ship and addresses these with great humour repeatedly throughout the set.
I was held from beginning to end, and I’ll admit I did not expect Guide to be as genuinely informative as it was good for a generous amount of belly laughs. Lamarque’s style makes you feel like you’ve been both thoroughly entertained and educated in a gentle, low stakes kind of way. It’s a really refreshing feeling and he’s definitely one to watch.
Knows, No’s Nose
Written and performed by Alice Ridgway, performed by Molly Simpson & directed by India Firth.
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/knows-nos-nose
29 Sept – 5 October
The Motley Bauhaus – Theatrette
4 STARS
A plucky and endearing two-hander that playfully ponders the question: What’s a clown if they’re not a clown?
It turns out share houses inhabited by clowns are plagued with existentialism. Fans of Caryl Churchill will adore this plucky and endearing two-hander performed by Molly Simpson and writer Alice Ridgway that playfully ponders the question: What’s a clown if they’re not a clown? Whilst Simpson’s clown has been in the game since time out of mind and takes the responsibilities of clownhood deathly seriously, Ridgway’s clown is having a crisis of faith- or, if you will, a crisis of funny. She feels moved to explore ways of being beyond the strictures of the red nose, thereby setting off a chain of events that tests the clown-to-clown relationship.
These two performers are very tightly tuned to each other- a technical proficiency appropriate for the symbiotic relationship of their characters, who have never before looked into a mirror, preferring instead to look into each other’s faces every morning. Clowns, am I right? The tag-teaming dialogue cascades beautifully, showcasing immaculate comedic timing and an energising understanding of pace. The physical comedy is present but less of an angle in this interpretation of clowndom, making the space an appropriate choice for the piece.
Beneath the particular pressures of desperately needing to make people laugh, this feels very much to be a sympathetic and sweet little story about two best friends. Characters don’t need names or a lot of given circumstances for it to be apparent that they have shared memories, anxious love for each other, and the closely guarded secret keys that good friends hold to making each other corpse. With the existential-theatre-lover part of me well and truly satisfied, I also left feeling warmed from the inside out.
Horse Girls
Presented by Burned Dinner Theatre
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/horse-girls
30 Sept – 4 October | 1 hour
TheatreWorks – Explosives Factory
3.5 STARS
A fun and relatable, pink-ponytailed portrait of friendship amongst group of tween horse girls
A regular afternoon meeting of the Lady Jean Ladies, the “most exclusive horse club”, is in session. A colourful band of characters is in attendance; on the cusp of their teens, they range from painfully awkward to impressively overconfident, yet they are fiercely united by an unmatched enthusiasm for all things equine. You know these girls. Maybe you were these girls? Before long, the order that club rules demand is upended by the news that the local stables are to be sold and the girls’ horses shot.
Horse Girls is a fun and relatable pink, ponytailed portrait of the intensity of tween friendship group dynamics, adolescent jealousy and joy, and how impossibly huge and urgent everything in one’s own small world seems at age 11-13. It manages to find a sweet spot between sending up the horse girl trope and empathising with it. The convention of obvious adults assuming the personas of young girls works very well here given how intrinsically and terribly camp horse girl lore is. The ultimate descent into gory darkness only deepens the inherent situational gift of the piece.
Whilst there is a trend in Australian fringe theatre of performers adopting American accents for no apparent reason, this production does suffer from a somewhat inverse lack of clarity surrounding place. The original script by American playwright Jenny Rachel Weiner sets the play in South Florida, but whilst the performers here use their natural Australian accents and aspects of the story have been altered to reflect an Australian interpretation, the transformation is not 100% there. In particular, the idea that young Australian girls would be idolising Ann Romney as the “number one horse girl” is difficult to wrap one’s head around.
Overall, an enjoyable and upbeat romp (canter?) with plenty of laughs, some delightful character acting, and surprisingly touching moments.
Dead Mum
Written and Performed by Jack Francis West, Directed by Isabella Martin and Produced by Kasey Woolley
Tickets: Melbourne Fringe Festival – DEAD MUM
30 Sept – 4 October | 1 hour
TheatreWorks – Explosives Factory
5 STARS
In an hour of comedy and song, Jack Francis West delivers an incredibly raw, powerfully moving and downright hilarious performance backed by an in-house, four-piece band.
Content Warning: The work contains content around Self Harm or Suicide, Sexual Assault or Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Drug References, Sexual References, Death, Mental Health.
The brilliance of a cabaret being titled Dead Mum is that it has likely preemptively weeded out any audience member lacking appetite for the humour of Jack Francis West. The house is full to the brim with the exact people intended to bear witness. Pretence and censorship are notable only by their glorious absence- a feature signature to the voice of an artist knocked irreversibly off-centre by the loss of a parent, but also obviously inherent to Francis West themselves.
Before Francis West and their band enter the stage, we are very clearly set for a funeral. The work begins as the eulogy is being delivered, before swiftly springboarding into a nonlinear journey through memory and time that shakes hands with the chaotic ever-presence of grief itself. The fantastic band (Riley Richardson, Teige Cordiner, Eve Pilkington, and Lucy Cleminson) pairs seamlessly with the ease of Francis West’s twinkly-eyed stage presence and provide astute and consistent support throughout. Punctuated mostly by musical theatre numbers both heartfelt and utterly ridiculous (and always skilfully sung), this fast-paced hour is a beautiful thing that cannot be reduced to being described as a tribute alone; it is also a collection of notes on what it is to live through, beyond, and alongside death, and how impossible it is to ignore the flimsiness of the veil after one’s first major brush. “Time does not heal all wounds; it turns them into scars.”
Through the work, Francis West is honouring their much-loved mum and the loss of her in the best way they can; storytelling with their idiosyncratic style of uncompromising absurdity, whimsy, and irreverent warmth. Relentlessly charming and entirely themselves, they wield their expert control of tone to guide us along reflective paths that join one belly laugh to another. They are so startlingly funny that the band are regularly laughing along with the audience in moments that are clearly not improvised. This is testament to Francis West’s obvious ability to remain present within themes that would seduce many a performer towards falling back on a technical run. If there is any temptation to mentally retreat and protect themself, Francis West never seems to give in to it; they have successfully straddled the line between creating an autobiographical piece that is unsparingly honest and something that is sustainable to perform.
On one occasion, Francis West pauses the music to ponder aloud a current thought they’re having about the show. They are plainly conscious of the piece as something that is living and breathing as much as they pay respect to their mum as a person who was, for a lifetime, very much alive herself. They warn that when we turn deceased loved ones into ghosts, we scrub the colour and dimension from their legacy. Moreover, they illustrate gorgeously that when we memorialise someone only through the lens of our own experiences of that person, we are discarding the hundreds of other people they were in their lifetime.
Simply, strangely, wonderfully, Dead Mum is surely some of the best fun you can have at this year’s Fringe.
Changeling
Written by Charlie Simmons, directed by Monique Wing-Yun & produced by Jessica Fanwong.
Tickets Melbourne Fringe Festival – Changeling
30 September – 5 October | 90 minutes
The MC Showroom – The Showroom
3 STARS
An inventive and heartfelt ensemble work focussed on faerie child folklore traditions
In numerous European folklore traditions, a “changeling” refers to a faerie child left in place of a human infant, whilst that human child is stolen away to live in the faerie realm. As is typical of folklore, there are many retold variations on this idea, and therefore vastly varying modern narratives depicting changelings. In Changeling, the fae child takes centre-stage. This play is the tale of an eight-year-old changeling who, placed in the medieval household of an otherwise childless couple, yearns to belong somewhere (anywhere), and holds no inherent desire whatsoever to visit harm on the human realm, regardless of how their body/fae instincts may betray them.
The story is inventive and heartfelt and at no point felt predictable, even if at times it did feel a little ponderous for a high stakes fantasy tale. The dialogue is otherwise thoughtfully written, and movement and props are both used in a resourceful and interesting way. Given the theory that changeling lore originally came about as a means of explaining away genetic differences or disability in children, the themes of belonging and acceptance as applied to the changeling themself is a poignant choice. Furthermore, the changeling is considered genderless and referred to only by neutral pronouns- a feature which is never too overtly referenced by the other characters and is all the more effective for it.
There is a convention in place that the actors portraying human characters wear full-face masks for essentially the duration of the piece, whilst the fae are bare-faced. I cannot help but feel that so much of what the actors were offering was lost to us- and perhaps each other- beneath these masks, both vocally and in facial expressions. Whenever the masks were removed I was taken aback by how much more striking and engaging the performances suddenly seemed. I consider this an easily fixable aspect; perhaps the use of small masquerade-style masks instead would be more complimentary to the performances.
I give particular commendation to the performers who have been required to step into additional roles at the last minute due to cast misadventure- though on-book and having to read said book through the eyeholes of their masks, they bring exceptional characterisation and earn a handsome share of audience laughs.
CAKE – Last Bite
Presented by Memphis Mae & Leopold Pentland
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/cake-late-bite
30 Sept – 4 October | 1 hour
Meat Market – Cobblestone Pavillion
4.5 STARS
Mixing together Burlesque, drag, comedy and circus and Fringe icon Memphis Mae – CAKE is the recipe for a very sexy, sensational and scrumptious night of queer cabaret
Contains Haze, Some Infrequent/Low Pressure Audience Interaction, Sustained Loud Noises, Contains strobe lighting, Full frontal nudity, Strong coarse language.
You want sexy? It lives here. You want queer? Also here. You want the inexplicably joy-giving juxtaposition of death-defying feats being performed with ultimate camp silliness?
To me, nothing delivers the true spirit of fringe like a high-energy variety show, and boy do the good people of CAKE have some variety to share with you. Bringing together burlesque, drag, and circus, and hosted by the illustrious Memphis Mae, it’s the perfect late evening confection to top off whatever other events you’re coming from. You’ll see everything from balancing acts to death drops, and from hair aerialism to giant inflatable mannequins cuddling over the inimitable voice of Jennifer Coolidge.
This sweet treat never presumes upon our patience, rotating acts with a pace that keeps us energised, and reliably delivering one surprise after another. The show isn’t just riotously queer, it’s deliciously LOUD about it- and that’s both in the telling and in the showing. The body types proudly on display are as wide-ranging as the talents; the beautiful Cobblestone Pavilion is simply made to feel such a thoroughly warm, welcoming, fun space for the hour that CAKE is being served.
My face hurt from smiling so much, and I did for a minute wonder at the fact that these stunning technicians of physical (and other) magic must be used to glancing down at crowds of faces with their jaws on the floor. The mould was broken over and over when these performers were made, and when great artists join forces, great fringe is birthed.
Birds
Presented by Sons Of Stratford
Meat Market – The Stables 1
10th – 18th October
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/birds
5 STARS
The most you’ll laugh at a show outside of stand up. This is ‘Waiting for Godot’ meets ‘Kath & Kim’ and comes highly recommended
If you’ve been hoping to see a magnificently deranged two-hander in the vein of Kath & Kim in the heat death of the universe, you will find it at Meat Market. Both kaftaned and hairsprayed to the nines, Shayna (Alex Hines) and Beverley (Sarah Stafford) find kindred spirits in each other whilst kicking back side-by-side on the beach. They need to let off a little steam, and a lot of cigarette smoke; Shayna is several many divorces deep and has recently come into particularly good financial fortune due to the death of her entire family, whilst Beverley has literally lost count of the amount of children she has. All around them are the telltale signs of the world coming to an end, but they’ve got juicier stuff to yap about.
This show is written with the specifically Australiana brand of foxy-lady-crazy that just makes you feel proud. The characterisation is so good that you can’t seem to get used to the joke- well into the hour you’ll find yourself still cackling at a facial expression or a choice of intonation.
Somehow Shayna and Beverley’s time together manages to be set during the actual (and plausible) apocalypse without feeling at all sinister. At a guess, that would be because the second the lights are up the colourful absurdism is wildly apparent, so it just doesn’t seem shocking that as the beach literally cooks them, these ladies’ greatest concerns do not deviate from the likes of Smyle and Smacki-O’s secret sound or Holey Moley mini golf. Beverley’s son disappears with the rising tide, Shayna’s majestic pet bird of prey falls from the sky, and they both just keep on reapplying SPF to ruby red skin.
This may have been the most I’ve laughed during any fringe show that wasn’t standup comedy. I simply didn’t want it to end, but that is of course the entire point- we are witnessing the unfolding of the end. When all is said and done, Shayna and Beverley devolve into a state that is something teetering on post-verbal but manifests as akin to poetry in its repetition and brokenness. They have become grotesque piles of peeling skin and keywords, and still all you can do is laugh.
Pursuing Pleasure
Written and performed by Piera Dennerstein, directed by Olivia Charalambous.
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/pursuing-pleasure
Chapel Off Chapel
10th – 12th October
4.5 STARS
Loving and cheeky, this is a beautifully soft tribute to finding self love through diving headfest into pleasure. It is itself, immensely pleasurable!
As the irresistibly warm dramatic soprano Piera Dennerstein glides through the arrangement of candlelit cabaret tables singing our welcome to the space, we’re united in the understanding that we are in for a treat. Accompanied by joyfully brilliant pianist Pamela Christie, this piece is a loving, cheeky, beautifully soft tribute to finding self love through intense enjoyment of the other things one loves. Dennerstein gently walks us through her journey to becoming the person she is today via a series of arias and a few stylised contemporaries (shout out to the WAPera) that all have one thing in common, and it’s not that they’ve been strictly prescribed for her voice type; it’s that they are all her favourites.
Taking such themes as surviving long-term intimate partner abuse and doubting one’s inherent worth, and wrapping them up in packaging consisting of such tenderness and joy is a stroke of genius. Why isn’t there more opera cabaret around? I’m not even sure I considered it as a possibility before seeing Pursuing Pleasure. My first thought is that it could be testament to one of the themes illustrated in the show; that the unspoken rules of the Australian opera industry offer a very limited idea of what a successful career in opera looks like.
Either way, Dennerstein is an innovator and a real gift to both Fringe and the hopefully colourful future of Australian opera. She has demonstrated the ability to successfully attract a broader audience with whom to share her passion for an artform enjoyed by a comparatively closed community. We’re lucky that we’ll get to witness all the ways that this clever move will deepen and broaden her practice and inspire other creatives to test the boundaries of their own.
Sky Could Be Blue
Presented by Black Hole Theatre
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/sky-could-be-blue
14th – 15th October
Coconut Palms Restaurant
4 STARS
Inventive, surprising and delicious. This one sells out quickly, so scoop up those tickets the next time they’re available
In this inventive, surprising, and literally delicious hour, every diner in Fitzroy’s Coconut Palms restaurant is a ticketed audience member- except, of course, for the smattering of cast members subtly mic’d. As we savour three courses of Vietnamese dinner and hot tea, we listen via the provided headsets to live conversations unfolding all over the room, and sometimes even on the street. Occasionally the waiter interrupts; he is insistent that everyone try Jim’s special fried rice (we do!) and is an easy audience favourite. Even the show programme is a takeaway menu!
The conversations we overhear are linked by themes of navigating cultural differences, but they vary hugely in tone and subject. There’s a Chinese brother and sister who have recently relocated to Australia and are at odds with each other over her willingness to assimilate with white Australians. There’s a Vietnamese Australian man grappling with VietGPT about how to communicate with his parents. There are two young people on a date, dancing around the fact that neither of them have ever dated another person of Asian heritage before. And so on. Most captivating of all is the meeting of local council members to discuss the establishment of a Vietnamese cultural centre in Footscray. As pleasant smalltalk soon gives way to severe political tension, it is hard to know whether to stare at the actors sitting a table away or play the part of the polite neighbour and pretend I can’t hear things unravelling. As the front page of the menu queries- are we in the show?
I could do an experience like this just about every night of my life! Who doesn’t love eavesdropping on interesting conversations whilst eating their way through a Vietnamese set menu? Considering the season was completely sold out before it even opened, I’m going to deduce that there is tremendous demand for fringe events that think outside of the box in this way, and I greatly hope that this is not the last we’ve seen of Black Hole Theatre’s “dinner theatre”.
Queer Enough?
Presented by Memphis Mae & Leopold Pentland
Tickets: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/queer-enough
The Motley Bauhaus – Theatrette
13th – 19th October
3.5 STARS
Holding space for the Queer community, this is full of the desire to be and feel seen by ourselves and those around us. It may not go deep enough, but it still has a lot to offer.
In an effort to restore their respective senses of connection with the rest of their queer community, Luke Martin and Paige E. Joustra have bought a nightclub. Now they have seven days of preparation to ensure it is everything they want it to be by the time of its grand opening, because all they’ve managed to do so far is hire god-tier queer icon Cher to tend the bar (she talks to them through snippets of song throughout and it’s a very satisfying gag). The two friends explore all the possibilities for their new venture via a series of performance sidebars; burlesque, lipsync, live singing, and even a quiz show. You’ve got to hand it to them- they’re leaving no stone unturned.
I found it beyond fun that I was booked to see this within days of the announcement heralding the birth of Sydney’s Pink Pony Club- a new Oxford St establishment “preferring” gay men ages 18-35. Thank the gods of good common sense that Luke and Paige’s new space is unashamedly all about being as inclusive as possible right from the jump, but also accepting that mistakes will be made and handled along the way.
Although I would have liked a little more energy and conviction (as I could tell how personal the theme of this show is to the performers) I enjoyed seeing the in-community difficulties of a bisexual woman and a gay man explored on a level playing field, rather than through what has been called a gaytriarchal lens. There is a lot of infighting in the broader queer community, and it does no good to pretend otherwise. This show did well to let us see beneath the campness and glamour to the insecurities that plague a lot of queer folk- one may know their queerness deeply, but does that in and of itself communicate queerness enough to other people? We all hold that desire to feel seen for who we are in one way or another.
*Come back throughout the Melbourne Fringe Festival to see Fig Vinegar’s updated reviews as they come in
