Bursting with 500+ events taking over theatres, laneways, living rooms, beaches and carparks the Melbourne Fringe Festival sees thousands of artists turning every corner of the city into a stage from 30 September–19 October 2025. With so much on, Australian Arts Review takes a look at 18 events worth checking out:
Bootersloot
The Motley Bauhaus – Cabaret Stage: 29 September – 5 October
Cousin Tara is seeking life advice from her cat, whose depraved appetite has earned him the nickname ‘Bootersloot’. This feline really lives life to the full; but realistically, we can’t all have our cake and eat it too… right? Comedic chaos is balanced with sincerity and warmth in Cousin Tara’s latest hour of buttered-up, cat-loving cabaret, leaving audiences uplifted and tapping their feet as they go. Cousin Tara is Melbourne’s own guitar-slinging cabaret rockstar known for her catchy melodies and powerhouse pipes. Bootersloot is her fourth solo show and promises big laughs, catchy original music, and a fresh take on finding life’s sweet spots. Fresh from its highly praised Comedy Festival season, Bootersloot is a dish too rich to miss.
Chip on her Shoulder
Explosives Factory, St Kilda: 7 – 11 October
Single, Snacking, and Struggling: A Play About Chips, Comfort, and Coping. Kate wishes she was all that – and a bag of chips. Spoiler: she’s not. She’s a mess, and she knows it. But she’s trying, sort of. She might even be a little bit salty – at life, at love, at herself. An Aussie living in New York, chasing a Broadway dream that’s about as likely as her plants surviving. Until the “big break” shows up, she’s working double shifts as a nurse, surviving dating disasters, navigating endless auditions that never go quite right, and hiding from the crushing loneliness at the bottom of a chip bag. Because if you’re going to fall apart, it might as well be with some crunch. Jen McAuliffe’s brutally honest, cheeky, and often uncomfortable one-woman show starring Vanessa Buckley drags you through the weird rituals of coping: crying in hospital toilets, spiraling mid-therapy, surviving a string of disastrous dates that feel like emotional minefields, wrestling with grief, and wondering if you should download that dating app one last time – just in case…
DECADENCE: 10 Years of YUMMY
Meat Market – Cobblestone Pavilion: 30 September – 18 October
The camp darlings of world-famous cabaret YUMMY are ready to celebrate 10 years of excellence with you! Join this beloved ensemble in a wild night out of transformative drag, circus, and burlesque in a life-affirming, sexy, and joyful celebration. Your jaw will be on the floor from all the skill, sass, and style jam packed into this explosive 18+ production. With a repertoire that spans a decade of outrageous ideas, you don’t want to miss this legacy event from a beloved and iconic part of Melbourne’s culture. This large-scale, celebratory cabaret is a 75 minute production featuring a star studded cast. As both a retrospective and a fresh spectacle, the show is a maximalist, immersive experience built around the themes of legacy, excellence, community and joy.
Elixir Revived
Meat Market – Cobblestone Pavilion: 14 – 18 October
From the team that brought you GODZ comes Elixir by Head First Acrobats! This riotous, award-winning circus comedy fuses jaw-dropping acrobatics with irreverent humour and a dash of cheeky charm. Described as Cirque du Soleil meets Magic Mike, this high-energy spectacle follows four bumbling scientists in their quest to concoct the elixir of life. Their self-experimentation leads to a series of wild transformations, including a chaotic zombie outbreak, setting the stage for a whirlwind of physical feats and comedic mayhem.
GO / NO GO
Theatre Works, St Kilda: 14 – 18 October
GO / NO GO fuses circus and theatre to dynamically reimagine the lives of the First Lady Astronaut Trainees – thirteen barrier-breaking women who in 1961 took on the same gruelling tests as the famed Mercury 7 astronauts. They wanted to prove that women too had the right stuff. Once they passed those hurdles – with flying colours – all they had to do was convince NASA they even had a right to be considered. Then the real challenge started. Back when NASA was still dreaming up what kind of person might best survive the extremes of space, one unexpected idea was floated: circus performers. Acrobats. Aerialists. Daredevils. Who better for zero gravity? But that notion was quickly grounded in favour of test pilots, and the circus world’s chance at the stars disappeared. Until now. GO / NO GO catapults that connection back into orbit. Written by Natalie Frijia and Felicia Lannan & Tess Walsh, this is a high-energy, genre-defying performance for lovers of space, science, spectacle, and anyone who’s ever dreamed of defying gravity and going to the Moon.
Gold Star Bisexual
The Motley Bauhaus – Cabaret Stage: 13 – 18 October
Growing up in Singapore in the 90s, Stephanie Dogfoot first realised they were different when they were when they were 12 and developed crushes on an altar boy and a netball captain at the same time. This is the story of what happened next… It’s a story of moving across the world to find a place to fit in. It’s about figuring out who you are and trying to get the rest of the world to believe it. It’s about coming out, coming clean and coming. Or maybe it’s a show about never making up your mind. Either way, it’s a party and everyone’s invited. Expect PowerPoint slides, awkward stories, puns, and a reasonable number of finger guns from Singapore’s most beloved (haters will say ‘only’) bisexual comedian & spoken word artist. Performed to high acclaim in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, this show is making its Melbourne debut at the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2025.
Marie’s Crisis
Trades Hall – ETU Ballroom: 9 – 16 October
Nestled in the heart of New York’s enchanting West Village is a basement piano bar so iconic, celebrities queue to get in. And for six nights only, Marie’s Crisis and its top pianists are coming to Melbourne to play especially for you. This evening is unplugged and spontaneous – it’s just the crowd, the piano and the showtunes. There’s no set list, no stage, no microphone and no shooshing. Everyone’s welcome to sing their heart out – or just stand and enjoy the musical mavens who know all the lyrics. It’s riotous and rambunctious and welcomes all ages, all sexual orientations, all backgrounds and all singing levels. Sip cocktails and enjoy the uplifting, magical feeling of being right there on Broadway. This communal sing along night features songs from musicals ranging from popular classics, such as Les Mis, Wicked, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and Grease, to the cult showtunes from the musicals of Stephen Sondheim – and everything in between!
Metro
Studio Theatre – Gasworks Arts Park: 7 – 11 October
In Metro, eight strangers travel not just through the city, but through the haunting terrain of grief. Told in a series of interconnected stories, this bold new work explores the complex, often chaotic path toward healing – one stage of grief at a time. Influenced by the surrealism of David Lynch and the disorienting beauty of postmodern theatre, Metro surrounds its audience with imagery, sound, and raw emotion. With the train carriage at the centre of the stage and the audience encircling the action, you’re not just watching the journey – you’re on it! A haunting and immersive new play that takes you on a surreal journey through grief. Step aboard a Melbourne train unlike any you’ve ever known.
Not Without Right: Shakespeare’s Secret
Bard’s Apothecary: 30 September – 18 October
Shakespeare works in his attic, amending his will – to protect his daughter from her gold-digging, new husband – when, to his chagrin, his Muse materializes and demands he unravel the true story of his life. Why? Will demands. The Muse discloses that factions are claiming he is not the author of the canon. There are more than eighty pretenders to his ‘throne.’ The only way to truly prove to us [the audience] he writes the plays is for Will to reveal what it cost him personally to create them, and where the secrets of his life lie hidden in his scripts. Created by the multi-award winning Los Angeles-based, theatre ensemble Will & Company, Not Without Right: Shakespeare’s Secrets stars Colin Cox as Shakespeare and Alessandra Mañón as The Muse.
Opening Night GALA
Capitol Theatre: Tuesday 30 September
Beneath the glowing arches of Melbourne’s iconic Capitol Theatre, the Opening Night GALA pulses with life. A genre-defying premonition of what’s to come this Festival. A 90-minute spectacle of everything Fringe does best: bold ideas, high-voltage performances, and independent art that hits you differently. The air hums with anticipation. If the Festival is a rollercoaster of radical art and ambitious ideas, then this is the thrilling first drop. Expect standouts from across the program. Visionary voices, creative fire starters, and cultural risk-takers, all handpicked for a night of glory. Your guide for the night? None other than Fringe star, Sammy J. Our dazzling line-up includes Janty Blair, Madame Martha’s Parisian Cabaret, Lilikoi Kaos, Amos Roach, Geraldine Quinn, Vidya Makan, Joshua Ladgrove, Piera, Carmen Yih, the cast of Social Beast, and Isabella Valette.
Power Move
Fed Square, Melbourne: 30 September – 19 October
Power Move at Fed Square is not your average boogie. It’s a sprawling, technicolour playground where every shimmy, stomp, and spin pumps clean, green energy straight into the party’s heart. This interactive kinetic dancefloor is an open invite and a challenge to the people of Melbourne. Can we dance hard enough to power the whole thing off-grid? Inspired by underground Berlin clubs but bursting into broad daylight, Power Move is a riotous celebration of movement for all ages and abilities. From breakdancing duels to community dance sessions, this is a Festival mash-up where everyone is invited. Daily at 5:30pm, Melbourne’s best emerging local DJs go head-to-head in Killer or Filler. They’ll battle for bragging rights as the set that generated the most energy (by getting the most people to shake their groove thang).
Strange Chaos
Haus of Ooze: 9 – 19 October
A punk clown sits in the headlights of an old Ute. Tonight he will make the biggest decision of his life. For the first time in Naarm/Melbourne, Strange Chaos roars into town ready to seduce and amaze audiences looking for a true fringe experience that’s filled with poetry, emotion and humour. Blending the strange and dangerous arts of a sideshow punk with the poetic heart of a tragic clown, this show is an unmissable experience from Melbourne’s own leading alt-circus provocatuers – Oozing Future (Apocrypha, AutoCannibal). Taking place in a secret immersive venue amidst the grit and grafitti of a familiar suburban street, Strange Chaos has wowed audiences world wide – winning a Best Circus weekly award at Adelaide Fringe, and playing by special invitation at Glastonbury Festival in the UK. Surreal, ridiculous and emotionally compelling, this anarchic performance is sure to entertain, inspire and be the talk of the festival.
Tash York’s Chaos Cabaret
Trades Hall – ETU Ballroom: 3 – 5 October
Welcome to the ultimate improvised variety game show! A wild mix of drag, cabaret, circus, & burlesque, turned on its head with surprises no one sees coming… not even the performers! Hosted by the grand dame of drag & cabaret, Tash York (Swamplesque, Happy Hour), each night pits three incredible artists against each other across three improvised rounds; from surprise interruptions to hilarious audience prompts and a lip-sync with a twist. With Tash as the delightfully unhinged director, it’s your vote that helps shape the madness and crown the Chaos Cabaret champion – all from the comfort of your seat! No rehearsals, completely unscripted, pure chaos!
The Importance of Being Earnest as Performed by Three F*cking Queens and a Duck
Theatre Works: 30 September – 5 October
The Filthiest Farce at the Fringe! The 3-time Edinburgh Fringe season sell-out finally returns to Melbourne in all its disrespectful glory. An outrageous tour-de-farce as three talent-deprived thespians attempt the impossible in staging Mr Wilde’s classic in a frantic 50-minute lovey fest. Good taste and political correctness fly out the window as they take on the uber-theatricals in an all-out assault on those more talented. Written by Steven Dawson with little bits of Oscar Wild, it’s the campest, tackiest show you’ll see this year; a bitingly funny over-the-top comedy that sticks it right up the theatrical fundamentals. More rampage than homage. Oscar will be spinning in his grave!
The Lucky Country
Southbank Theatre, The Lawler: 13 – 18 October
After a sensational season on Gadigal land, The Lucky Country comes to Naarm! With an original score that nods to some of Australia’s all-time greats (Baker Boy, Jimmy Barnes, Kylie, The Seekers, Electric Fields and more), this 65-minute mix-tape of Aussie stories is a wildly entertaining joyride that digs deep into the themes of identity and belonging. Featuring an ensemble of six outstanding performers and a five-piece band (including yidaki), The Lucky Country is a fresh, funny and heartfelt celebration of who we can be as Australians. With Music and Lyrics by Vidya Makan (Hamilton, SIX) in collaboration with director Sonya Suares (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods), The Lucky Country is the smash hit Aussie musical you’ve been waiting for!
Tuck Shop Ladies: There’s A Song In That
Trades Hall – Quilt Room: 8 – 12 October
Have you ever said, There’s a song in that? The Tuck Shop Ladies are taking it literally. In this brand-new, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-if-you’re-wearing-them show, ukulele-wielding comedy duo Sam Lohs and Rosie Burgess take your ridiculous life suggestions and turn them into possibly average but definitely harmonious songs, live on stage. There’ll be stories, digressions, chaos, and at least one freshly minted potential banger by the end of the night. No two shows are the same – because you help write them. Come for the fun, stay for the unexpected!
Tomas Clifford Got Stood Up
Trades Hall – Solidarity Hall: 1 – 5 October
Winner of the FRINGE WORLD 2025 Martin Sims Award, Tomas Clifford Got Stood Up is an original musical-comedy cabaret inviting you to join Tomas as he dives into what exactly went wrong leading up to that fateful night – from unrequited high school crushes, to obscene attempts at dating and flirting. Accompanied by live musicians, delusions of grandeur, and the many ghosts of boys who never responded, Tomas Clifford Got Stood Up is a coming-of-age that couldn’t come quick enough, and if history repeats itself – might never show up at all!
work.txt
Trades Hall – Common Rooms: 1 – 12 October
work.txt is a play performed entirely by the audience. Exploring themes of contemporary work, automation, and always-on working culture, the story is about a person in a city somewhere who has stopped working. The audience must attempt to work together to figure out why. Award-winning UK theatre collective SUBJECT OBJECT have exploded onto the international stage since forming in 2021, presenting new work that is formally bold with global ideas. They are thrilled to return to Australia after winning the 2023 Adelaide Fringe award for Best Interactive Theatre (work.txt), presenting the Australian premiere of instructions and Melbourne premiere of work.txt in an exhilarating double bill of experimental international theatre.
The 2025 Melbourne Fringe Festival takes place from 30 September–19 October. For more information and full program, visit: www.melbournefringe.com.au for details.
Images: The cast of DECADENCE: 10 Years of YUMMY – photo by Matto Lucas | Cousin Tara stars in Bootersloot – photo by Nick Robertson | Vanessa Buckley stars in Chip On Her Shoulder – photo by Adrian Price | The cast of DECADENCE: 10 Years of YUMMY – photo by Matto Lucas | Head First Acrobats presents Elixir Revived photo by Jason Matz Photography | GO / NO GO – photo by smwimage | Stephanie Dogfoot stars in Gold Star Bisexual (supplied) | Adam Tilford and Kenney Green-Tilford star in Marie’s Crisis (supplied) | Metro – photo by Jefferson Nguyen | Colin Cox and Alessandra Mañón feature in Not Without Right: Shakespeare’s Secrets (supplied) | Sammy J – photo by NickMickPics | Power Move by Quiet Riot – photo by Max Roux | Strange Chaos – photo by Georgia Moloney | Tash York – photo by Mark Gambino | The Importance of Being Earnest as Performed by Three F*cking Queens and a Duck – photo by Travis de Jonk | The Lucky Country – photo by Phil Erbacher | Tuck Shop Ladies – photo by Nick Manuell | Tomas Clifford – photo by Maedforu (Andrea Mae) | work.text – photo by Alex Brenner