Cooking shows can be a good metaphor for life; not about the final outcome, but more importantly, about how we get there. And in Burgerz, we learn how to cook a hamburger with the guidance of Travis Alabanza.
The journey for young, black, actor, writer and trans Travis Alabanza begins in London, 2016, on the Waterloo Bridge. Out of nowhere they are pelted full force with fresh, sloppy burger, done just the way you like them, with added homophobic slur.
The thrower is a young white male, and the incident is witnessed by a female, among many others. Nobody does anything, and Alabanza, though physically unhurt, is left to go home to ponder the impact of the moment and the options they have for understanding the actions of all involved.
Cutting forward 10 years, with Alabanza in front of a packed audience at Carriageworks on the opening night of the Sydney Festival it is they who are having the last laugh, along with the audience for much of this 75 minute production.
Since 2018 their self-penned show Burgerz has been a hit around the world, gaining audiences and accolades, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018 Total Theatre Award.
The show opens against a flat set marked Burgerz, with Alabanza emerging in utilitarian blue overalls, as they break the fourth wall with the audience as they explain why they are there.
Instantly engaging, we know that we are in for a bumpy ride with Alabanza as they recount the bridge incident, before opening the set up to reveal a kitchen bench and a bunch of cardboard cartons, which could also be metaphors for closets.
After calling for audience members to read them the instructions from a specialised hamburger cooking book we are lucky enough to be introduced to Andy the economist, who fortunately is equally up to Alabanza’s strong stage personality.
What follows is and hour or so of sharp badinage between Alabanza and Andy, while Alabanza charges the audience with a roller coaster of questions concerning trans identity against a background of violence, hate and anger, which sometimes lets us down gently and at other times the rage is palpable and extends.
Playing themselves, we do not learn a whole lot about Alabanza, outside of the confines of the action and their response to it, but we are left with a humane understanding of the politics and their response.
Directed by Sam Curtis Lindsay, the forward momentum is always in play, when audience participation from Andy was often unscripted and could have led to moments of real dramatic danger for both he and Alabanza.
There were times in the exchange where there is a sense of Alabanza’s mind’s gears working overtime to parry with Andy.
The single set from designer Soutra Gilmore and the few props gives scope for a lot of physical humour, while lighting from Lee Curran and Lauren Woodhead is simple and at times dramatic.
About 10 minutes in Alabanza began to have problems with the spotlights, resulting in profuse sweating but this was soon overcome for the duration of the show. Sound on the night from XANA had a few problems with Alabanza’s mic, which at one point had to be repositioned.
At times the script reminded me of Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap where a single unwanted event reveals a minefield of hidden tension and that alone puts it in good company.
The hamburger event not only affected Alabanza, but became their vehicle for Burgerz and getting the message of their community out into the world, and what better way to do it than with a few belly laughs, with a bit of relish.
BURGERZ
Carriageworks (Track 8), 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh (Sydney)
Performance: Thursday 8 January 2026
Season continues to 18 January 2026
Information and Bookings: www.sydneyfestival.org.au
BURGERZ will also be presented as part of the Trans Theatre Festival at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre (Tower) from 21 – 31 January 2026.
Image: Travis Alabanza in BURGERZ – photo by Dorothea Tuch
Review: John Moyle