Our studious friends at InReview are out every night seeing shows, and they're taking notes. These are the 21 best-reviewed shows still running at this year's Adelaide Fringe – four stars and up only.
March 2, 2023
Culture
The best of the Fringe so far
The Best of the Best
The Beep Test
Genre: Musical Theatre
Reviewer: Shannon Pearce
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 5 March
The class of Year 7C takes audiences on a musical trip back to school PE classes – and perhaps the dread that came with them.
Why you should see the show:
“Lighting designer Gabriel Bethune cleverly uses spotlights and dramatic changes in lighting to create many moments of hilarity through false song-starts and the playing up of tropes. The choreography is playful and engaging, making use of every part of the stage.”
Come Together — The Beatles Rock Show
Genre: Music
Reviewer: Steve Evans
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 5 March
This uplifting hour of well-known Beatles tunes is delivered with theatrical flair, musical punch and, importantly, feeling. It’s not just a tribute show but also great entertainment.
Why you should see the show:
“There were no low points in this full-on hour of Beatles music, though some tunes shone more than others. Highlights included “Come Together”, heralded with swirling lights and dizzying guitar from Ben Whittington. The audience didn’t need much encouragement to join in the chorus of “Help”, and “Daytripper” was exhilarating. “The End” was, of course, the end.”
The King of Taking
Genre: Clown
Reviewer: Murray Bramwell
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 5 March
Rubber-limbed and deadpan, New Zealand mime wizard Thom Monckton makes an hilarious return as the selfish king whose only subject is himself.
Why you should see the show:
“For 50 minutes the complications multiply and the sight gags, sudden-death pratfalls, and the slings and arrows of sudden misfortune bring continuous fun. Thom Monckton has a rare and inventive gift for witty clowning. This royal show is definitely for the taking.”
Mansion
Genre: Circus
Reviewer: Trista Coulter
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 5 March
They walked among the gods in the hit 2022 Adelaide Fringe show Oracle; now, Bass Fam Creative return to drag audiences down to the depths of hell with the frightening Adelaide premiere of Mansion.
Why you should see the show:
“A dark fusion of physical theatre, storytelling, dance and circus, Mansion plunges viewers into a frightening hellscape inhabited by vengeful spirits and mournful souls, and the result is both emotionally intense and thoroughly entertaining.”
Millicent Sarre is Opinionated
Genre: Cabaret
Reviewer: Shannon Pearce
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 5 March
Millicent Sarre is Opinionated is an entertaining, emotional and, for many, eerily familiar journey through modern feminism, the ridiculousness of prejudice, and the damaging role patriarchy has played in all our lives.
Why you should see the show:
“Millicent Sarre adeptly walks the line between comedy and very real, serious issues with care and brilliance. The song ‘Jealous’ serves as a moment of poignant reflection, shifting attention to her own relationship with internalised misogyny and how she judges herself against other women.”
See You
Genre: Dance
Reviewer: Katherine Tamiko Arguile
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 5 March
A mesmerising, immaculate contemporary dance production overflowing with emotional resonance, the Australian debut of Taiwanese company Hung Dance’s internationally acclaimed work is a Fringe gem of heart-stirring beauty.
Why you should see the show:
“The dancers alternate between moving in precise unison and splintering into cold, blue-lit clusters and red, warm-hued, connecting couples; their frenzied shudderings and hunched-shouldered, monsterish trudges alternate with the lithe sinuousness and balletic grace of tai chi and glitching moves of street body-poppers.”
Watson – The Final Problem
Genre: Theatre
Reviewer: Jo Vabolis
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 18 March
Are the rumours of Sherlock Holmes’ demise true? Has he met his end at the hands of his arch nemesis? All is revealed in this gripping solo stage show starring British actor Tim Marriott.
Why you should see the show:
“The script is dense and absorbing, and the pace is furious, but Tim Marriott’s masterful characterisation of multiple roles means the hour flies past and we never get confused about where we are in the story. We revisit key moments in Watson’s life (his war service, medical practice and marriage to Mary Morstan) and accompany him as he flees London with Holmes, pursued by the criminal mastermind Professor James Moriarty.”
The Marvellous Elephant Man: The Musical
Genre: Comedy
Reviewer: Shannon Pearce
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 13 March
A team of top creatives has brought together some of Australia’s most talented theatre and opera performers to present this vaudevillian production that is right at home in the circus-like Wonderland Spiegeltent.
Why you should see the show:
“Themes of masculinity, humanity, and prejudice are explored in this outrageous musical as Nurse Hope (Annelise Hall) must choose between the highly regarded and powerful Dr Treves and the “Elephant Man” on the outer edge of society.”
Electric Dreams – work.txt
Genre: Interactive
Reviewer: Rachael Mead
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 17 March
Immersive and unique, work.txt is an experimental theatre piece for everyone who has secretly suspected their day job to be utterly meaningless.
Why you should see the show:
“For a theatre-goer with a deep-seated aversion to audience participation, a production in which the audience becomes the cast sounds like a new circle of hell. But don’t let similar fears stop you from experiencing this powerful, ingenious and thoroughly enjoyable show by UK writer and producer Nathan Ellis.”
Electric Dreams – Temping
Genre: Immersive
Reviewer: Jo Vabolis
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 18 March
A stint covering a holidaying worker should be a breeze, right? In Temping, a show unique to each audience member, you have a team behind you but you’re ultimately on your own.
Why you should see the show:
“Temping – written by Michael Yates Crowley and presented by New York-based Dutch Kills Theater Company and “narrative technologists” Wolf 359 – is a technologically complex theatrical experience offered for a single audience member at each sitting. The satisfyingly unsettling work is site-specific (a self-contained office cubicle has been set up in Adelaide University’s Union building), and is being presented for the first time in Australia as part of the Adelaide Fringe’s award-wining Electric Dreams festival.”
Sh!t-faced Shakespeare – Romeo & Juliet
Genre: Comedy
Reviewer: Elisabeth Marie
Score: ★★★★★
Dates: Until 19 March
What happens when you give a Shakespearean cast some liquid courage? The result is a little bit naughty, but surprisingly wholesome.
Why you should see the show:
“Whenever something goes awry for Juliet (which, of course, is quite often), our protagonist throws herself to the ground with a cry and slams her fist against the floor in a tantrum that is curiously reminiscent of Cardi B’s ‘WAP’ dance.”
The Very Best
Hard Quiz Live
Genre: Comedy
Reviewer: Heather Taylor Johnson
Score: ★★★★½
Dates: Until 5 March
Making fun of a contestant’s nerd-factor is an artform Tom Gleeson has mastered in his knowledge-based game show Hard Quiz, and never has it felt so right to laugh with the tormenter.
Why you should see the show:
“Because Tom Gleeson is a ruthless mocker by trade, a bonus of the live show is bigger flinches during the laughs – there’s no censorship. “In the live show,” Gleeson reassures everyone, “they’d edit that out.” So it’s a reckless experiment. If Gleeson mishears the guest’s answer or forgets who’s winning, it’s fodder for more cheeky ridicule that lands on the contestants’ shoulders.”
Pét-Nat + Han ah Chocolate
Genre: Sketch Comedy
Reviewer: Megan Koch
Score: ★★★★½
Dates: Until 5 March
The perfectly paired Nat Harris and Hannah Camilleri present a selection of delectable comedic treats in their new sketch show.
Why you should see the show:
“Opening their performance with a rapid-fire period drama parody that has the room quaking with laughter, this Melbourne-based duo’s particular brand of comedic genius is immediately clear. You never have to wait for the joke, or watch them build up to laboured punchlines, because every line (indeed, every gesture, voice inflection and facial expression) is funny simply for being so astonishingly accurate.”
Uke Springsteen – Nebraska
Genre: Music
Reviewer: Ben Adams
Score: ★★★★½
Dates: Until 16 March
This focused and captivating ode to one classic album of gritty realism, melancholy tales and raw social commentary is an enervating and uplifting experience, in the best tradition of The Boss himself.
Why you should see the show:
“The set list here was a known quantity, but Ben Roberts made clear from the outset that he would be introducing and placing each song in terms of its history, influence and connection to his own life and songwriting. Opening with clear, resonant vocals and the restrained foot-stomping percussion of a one-man act on “twisted” title song ‘Nebraska’, Roberts moved into an up-tempo but still unmistakably melancholy version of the album’s best-known track, ‘Atlantic City’.”
The Umbilical Brothers – The Distraction
Genre: Comedy
Reviewer: Katherine Tamiko Arguile
Score: ★★★★½
Dates: Until 19 March
The ever-energetic Umbilical Brothers keep the laughs coming as they return to the Fringe with their daftly hilarious, award-winning mash-up of live performance, real time footage and green-screen-trickery.
Why you should see the show:
“The show begins at a sedate pace with David Collins, in his green-screen dressing room, ending up snogging his alter ego in the mirror, taking his own sweet time. It feels like that moment of pause at the top of a rollercoaster ride before it begins rolling again – whoo, off we go! – swiftly picking up speed, sketches and action. Prop-wrangling and quick costume changes and dashes between screen and camera grow ever more chaotic and frenzied, the Umbies sometimes not having quite enough time to make a transition, which only adds to the hilarity.”
Simply the Best
27 Club
Genre: Music
Reviewer: Ben Kelly
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Until 5 March
Sarah McLeod and Carla Lippis are electrifying as the Adelaide Fringe’s favourite supergroup returns to rock audiences with their finely tuned hour of rock, grunge and soul, paying homage to famous musicians who never saw the age of 28.
Why you should see the show:
“With couches and a coffee table on stage, the show is like being in the lounge room of eight epic musicians as each take their turn at leading. There are some clever re-imaginings of classics, while other numbers are performed true to the originals, and some are presented as medleys.”
Best of Edinburgh Fest
Genre: Comedy
Reviewer: Steve Evans
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Until 19 March
With the strong reputation of the Best of the Edinburgh Fest from previous Adelaide Fringe festivals, there was good reason to hope it would be a winner again in 2023. Happily, we can tick that box.
Why you should see the show:
“On this night we were laughing with Gary McCallister (AKA Mickey D), Mark Simmons (from TV’s Mock the Week), and Markus Birdman. It was a three-course meal in humour that was well worth digging into, with each comedian’s approach quite different.”
Reclaiming Harry
Genre: Musical Theatre
Reviewer: Gianluca I Noble
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Until 19 March
Unabashedly joyful and devilishly close to a copyright violation, Reclaiming Harry fights to reclaim the multi-million-dollar franchise for those who love it most – the fans.
Why you should see the show:
“Wonderfully, Reclaiming Harry fights bigotry with unbridled love for fantasy, the queer community, trashy/iconic ’90s pop music, and delightfully camp characters. The influences of cabaret, musical theatre, pantomime and drag are obvious as the characters are swept through various iconic works of the fantasy genre in the hopes of rewriting Harry’s story.”
Ross Noble – Jibber Jabber Jamboree
Genre: Comedy
Reviewer: Rachael Mead
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Until 19 March
The title of this show describes Ross Noble’s wild, stream-of-consciousness style, but doesn’t do justice to the hilarious ingenuity of the content. Celebrating his 21st tour, the comedian again proves himself the virtuoso of improvisational stand-up.
Why you should see the show:
“While touching on the odd potentially problematic subject – terrorists, the regime in Saudi Arabia – Noble skirted close to the edge but never slipped. Audiences don’t flock to see him for a show that’s politically edgy or philosophically profound. They come to marvel at an improvisational maestro at work, riffing off the energy and random interjections of his audience.”
Smashed – The Brunch Party
Genre: Cabaret
Reviewer: Elisabeth Marie
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Until 19 March
Cabaret, drag and titillating theatrics aren’t just for after dark. Sate your appetite for something fun, fabulous and risqué during brunch.
Why you should see the show:
“Audiences at this performance were delighted as the cast moved among the crowd, sitting on laps or scruffing up hair. When participants were needed for an on-stage competition, the promise of free Bloody Marys had everyone scrambling to play.”
FLEX
Genre: Interactive
Reviewer: Jo Vabolis
Score: ★★★★
Dates: Until 24 November
‘Where does the body end and the avatar begin?’ In a series of absorbing interactive spaces, FLEX plays with the links between our physical selves and the environments we inhabit.
Why you should see the show:
“In an adjacent ground-floor gallery, “Spacious Living” situates the viewer within the solar system. Screens encircle us at two levels. Up high, space travellers explore an otherworldly landscape. Down low, touchscreens allow the viewer to zoom in and out to explore planets and moons and their positions in relation to each other and their orbits. It’s absorbing, and it quickly captures the attention.”
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