Bursting at the seams with more than 1,300 shows, the 2024 Adelaide Fringe program boasts a record number of shows that will delight, inspire and challenge audiences. Australian Arts Review takes a look at 16 shows worth checking out!
Alice Tovey: Not Like The Other Ghouls
The Dom Polski Centre: continues to 3 March
She’s just Not Like the Other Ghouls. Bratty horror hunk and critically acclaimed cabaret nightmare Alice Tovey invites you into her fright night spectacular. A cabaret-comedy that is a love letter to horror movies wrapped up in an immersive musical experience. It’s part dinner theatre, part Vincent Price late night horror special, all hilarious and sometimes heart-breaking. With songs like Super Gay Power Slut” and Teenaged Vampire Boyfriend, this is one for the girls, gays and theys.
An Evening With JK
The Chapel at The Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum: 12 – 17 March
In this rare and exclusive literary event, join world-renowned children’s author JK (as played by transgender comedian Anna Piper Scott) for an exclusive, hard hitting one-on-one interview. Some consider her to be the saviour of modern feminism. Others consider her to be the face of a hate movement. This original play places two oppositional forces against each other in an attempt to unmask the millionaire and reconcile the feelings of former fans and those on the fence. Often illuminating, sometimes infuriating, she finally answers the questions she never gets asked, and gives the answers she’s always wanted to give. A must-see for book-lovers, feminists, and women of all backgrounds.
Cry Baby
Holden Street Theatres: 12 – 17 March
From Meryl Streep to Kate Winslet, from Jodie Foster to Emma Thompson, everyone’s crying. And they all won an Oscar for it… but why do you humans like to cry anyway? Isabella Perversi brings a solo show investigating tears. Created from real life diary entries from her 6 years old self, inspired by childhood dance competitions and channelling her inner Jane Fonda; this is part song, part dance, part sock puppet.”
Dubious Intent
The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall: 9 – 11 March
Have you ever had a platonic friendship that plays out like a romantic relationship? Michael and Jesse book a study room every week to work with the intention of on day becoming successful writers. Their storied friendship has been fading, but is held together by a shared promise. A promise which one of them has intentions to break. When your only means of communicating is contention, hard truths and heart-to-hearts can be dubious. Written by Callum O’Mara and directed by Luca Catalano, Dubious Intent explores our intense friendships that induce anxiety and feel as though one wrong move could end it abruptly – and what to do when the spark is gone.
Girl Talk
Ukiyo at Gluttony – Rymill Park: 27 February – 3 March
Girl Talk is an extraordinary performance that defies stereotypes and celebrates the strength of female voices. Directed by Meredith Kitchen, this show blends the physicality of circus with the authenticity of documentary style theatre. It challenges the dismissive connotations of the phrase “Girl Talk” by providing a powerful platform for women’s stories. From the constraints of societal expectations to the rules set predominantly by men, Girl Talk delves into the challenges women face every day. It’s a mission to amplify the female voice, and it does so by drawing from personal experiences, using text, physical language, and circus apparatus, providing a platform for women to find their voice.
GODZ
The Vault at Fool’s Paradise: continues to 17 March
A hedonistic dive head-first into the lives of the ancient Gods of Olympus! Follow Cupid (the God of love), Hercules (the God of strength) and Dionysus (the God of wine) as they paint the scene of Ancient Greece and bring you to the biggest party to hit Mount Olympus since 500 BCE. Your favourite group of comedy acrobats – the boys from Head First Acrobats – take their unique mix of storytelling, circus and physical prowess to god-like proportions. Expect a bodyssey of gravity-defying stunts, true tests of heroic strength and muscularity, and surprise comic twists.
Hans: Disco Spektakular
The Flamingo at Gluttony – Rymill Park: 27 February – 10 March
After a dramatic year (or two, or three), the pride of Berlin and international superstar Hans (America’s Got Talent) is taking his award winning comedy cabaret show, Disco Spektakular, around Australia in his biggest tour yet! And now it’s your turn Adelaide! Hans is back at Gluttony and the Adelaide Fringe for the first time in a long time in a triumphant return. Rising like a purple feathered phoenix from the ashes, Hans is set to get the party started with a slew of disco hits, his glamorous girls The Lucky B*tches and what every party needs…A piano accordion! You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll leave covered head to toe in glitter!
Le Freak!
The Lark at Gluttony – Rymill Park: 5 – 10 March
After centuries of exploitation circus artists are pushing back – world-class queer, disabled, and sex worker performers sharpen their swords and their stilettos to take down capitalism. This silly and profound show that celebrates difference and empowers the ‘freaks’ will have you sitting on the edge of your seat between discomfort and excitement! Off the back of an award-winning Melbourne season you don’t want to miss this exhilarating experience, packed with all the freakiest and most daring stunts. Join us to fan the fires of the revolution – one sequin at a time.
Michael Griffiths: It’s a Sin
Spiegel Zelt at The Garden of Unearthly Delights: 5 – 17 March
Songs of love and shame. For young Adelaide boy Michael Griffiths, coming of age in the ‘80s and coming out in the ‘90s was a real time. Long before marriage equality and social media, pop songs were a safe space to explore being queer and Pet Shop Boys provided a soundtrack to a gay new world. Directed by Dean Bryant (Sweet Charity, Assassins) and featuring Julian Ferraretto on violin and Dylan Paul on double bass, It’s a Sin sees Griffiths bring his inimitable cabaret style to PSB classics like Rent, Love Comes Quickly, Suburbia, Go West and It’s a Sin, linking each song to some of the most important (and sometimes hilarious) episodes, incidents and people in his life.
MILF & The Mistress
Jack & Jill’s Basement Bar: 27 February – 10 March
What happens when the soccer runs, the Saturday night TV and the flanno pyjamas start to make you itch for something more…sensational? Ali, a middle-aged schoolteacher drowning in straight suburbia, finds release in a BDSM dungeon. Join her as she slips out of the house – and into some serious knots! A powerful solo performance from Australian theatre luminary Jennifer Vuletic, this dark, hilarious new Australian play by Jane Montgomery Griffiths and directed by Virginia Proud, uniquely centres the mature lesbian experience, rarely seen on our stages. But there’s something for everyone in this tale of middle-age angst and conforming to others’ expectations. Come with us and find your salvation in a BDSM dungeon!
Natural Wonders
Adelaide Botanic Gardens: 23 February – 17 March
Embark on an extraordinary journey through a series of projected and immersive artworks of diverse natural ecosystems and storytelling, transforming the Botanic Garden into an outdoor art gallery under the stars. Enter upon sunset to explore a magical trail of stories, light and music for all ages with unique works by award-winning artists.
Plenty of Fish in the Sea
The Gallery at The Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum: 27 February – 3 March
A traveller is rescued from the surging seas to the devout fishing village. Conversation is sparse and in his temporary lodgings he comes face to face with an unsettling kind of hook-up culture. This is a darkly humorous and physically adventurous contemporary fable about finding the perfect catch. Conceived and directed by Emily Ayoub and Madeline Baghurst, Plenty of Fish in the Sea is contemporary physical theatre that embraces old-school theatricality. Surprising objects pop out of odd places, furniture moves as if on a ship in the ocean, characters misinterpret each other’s languages – it’s fun, it’s cheeky, it’s inventive and unsettling for those who are lost at sea.
Rouge
The Moa at Gluttony – Rymill Park: continues to 17 March
Winner of Best Circus at Adelaide Fringe 2020, Rouge returns to Adelaide! A decadent blend of sensational acrobatics, operatic cabaret and tongue in cheek burlesque. A non-stop celebration of the astonishing, surprising, subversive and the supremely sexy: award- winning Australian circus sensation Rouge brings an outrageous brand of adult circus.
Sauna Boy
The Warehouse Theatre: continues to 24 February
From multi-award winning writer/performer, Dan Ireland-Reeves, comes a semi-autobiographical look behind the curtain of one of the world’s most secretive and seductive industries. Dan works at one of the UK’s most successful and infamous gay saunas. Join Dan as he navigates a hidden world of lust, friendship and unorthodox working relationships. Pulsing with frenetic energy and laced with sexual tension; Sauna Boy is guaranteed to touch you in more ways than one.
The End of Winter
The Gallery at The Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum: 27 February – 3 March
Where do we find cold places as extreme weather worsens and the world heats up? Will climate change erase winter leaving it to exist only in fairy tales, paintings, and historical accounts? In hot, bushfire-prone Australia our winters are becoming warmer and shorter. The End of Winter is about loss and resilience. It’s about the places one can search for cold weather – places that can be reached via public transport and the imagination. A rich, imaginative story by Australian playwright Noëlle Janaczewska, The End of Winter is directed by Kate Gaul and features a solo performance Jane Phegan.
Your Silence Will Not Protect You
The Warehouse Theatre: continues to 24 February
Do you remember the panic attack you had the first, and only, time you fisted someone? Gavin does. And it was hilarious. Acclaimed queer artist Gavin Roach has caved into demand and is finally offering up a more “happy” and “fun” show. A joyous and illuminating adventure about coming to terms with mental illness, navigating alcohol abuse and trying to figure out why the hell you didn’t say something sooner.
The 2024 Adelaide Fringe Festival continues to 17 March. For more information and full program, visit: www.adelaidefringe.com.au for details.
Image: BOREALIS – photo by Chloe Elizabeth