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15 YEAR OLD ELON MUSK the 90s karaoke musical

28/02/2026 Rob McKinnon🥉

15 YEAR OLD ELON MUSK the 90s karaoke musical Rating

★★★★★

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15 YEAR OLD ELON MUSK the 90s karaoke musical is being performed at Arthur Arthouse, an art-deco building on Currie Street with its ‘Avant-Garde Furnishings’ signage still attached (echoing its former function) which is known for housing innovative productions.

The intimate space of The Box Theatre contains about 30 seats and a black stage where, as we entered on opening night, a smiling St John Smith sat in a wheelchair dressed in an ill-fitting surgical gown with a bandage around his head, next to him were two seats with objects covered with black cloth – one was obviously a skeleton as foot bones poked out of the bottom. Behind St John Smith was a tv screen and books.

The very affable St John Smith (a forty something man) apologised for the lateness of the start and the handful of audience members smiled back accepting his apology. He further told us that they haven’t had time for a proper tech run of the show but assured us the tech ‘God’ (Oscar) the young man in the corner would help out. St John Smith left the stage that became black, we were handed fake microphones for the karaoke parts of the show and the performance began.

Set in the 1990’s, the narrative of the show is that 15 year old Elon Musk is recovering in hospital from a beating he received at school for a homophobic slur Elon had tormented a boy with. In the hospital room Elon is visited by the skeleton ghost of South African photojournalist Kevin Carter who became famous in 1993 by taking a Pulitzer Prize photo that depicts a starving emaciated Sudanese child who has collapsed in the dirt as a vulture waits in the background. Kevin tells Elon that he will become the richest man in the world and explains the things that this will bring. Kevin further tells Elon that there will be another famine in Sudan in 2026 and asks Elon to use a fraction of his future wealth to relieve the suffering the famine will create. Later, Elon is also visited by an apparition of his father and young Elon is perplexed about what he should do with his future wealth.

Interspersed throughout the show, audience members sing along karaoke style to hits of the 1990’s. There is a Spotify playlist that upcoming audience members can prepare with – 15 YEAR OLD ELON MUSK the 90’s karaoke musical – playlist by stjohnmckay.

The one-person show by writer, director and performer St John Smith is dark and on opening night contained a few glitches which would probably be ironed out along its run, if they were unintended, although they did add an extra appeal to the performance.

15 YEAR OLD ELON MUSK the 90s karaoke musical is a highly entertaining show (glitches included) ideal for the creative space of Arthur Arthouse and St John Smith’s performance is imperfectly charming.

Proceeds from the show will be donated to Sudanese famine relief.

Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating; 4/5

15 YEAR OLD ELON MUSK the 90s karaoke musical
season is: Thu, 26 Feb – Tue, 10 Mar

Times: 8.30 pm

Venue: The Box at ARTHUR ARTHOUSE

For more information: 15 YEAR OLD ELON MUSK the 90s karaoke musical | Adelaide Fringe – 20 February – 22 March 2026

To book tickets to 15 YEAR OLD ELON MUSK the 90s karaoke musical, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/15-year-old-elon-musk-the-90s-karaoke-musical-af2026.

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Meteors

27/02/2026 Rob McKinnon🥉

Meteors Rating

★★★★★

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Meteors chronicles the journey of writer and performer Melissa Pullinger in dealing with the sickness and death of her mother from cancer. The writing cleverly entwines the narrative of the events of her life balancing humour against the darker aspects of the story. Pullinger’s performance is absorbing and connects the audience with her memories making Meteors one of the exceptional hours of this year’s Fringe.

Meteors begins with a funny anecdote of her obtaining glasses to watch an eclipse and the image of waiting to watch meteors in Tea Tree Gully becomes the connecting device of the script.

In a non-linear manner, Pullinger details other stories like a date she had at The Exeter Hotel where she tells her male companion that her mother is dead and how he relates to that in terms of the death of his cat for which she comforts him. Other stories detail how she and her mother had to speed home from a piercing Pullinger was having because her mother’s colostomy bag was full and another of her mother’s treatment of avoiding all light, so the family had to live in the dark. Pullinger further details her and her brother’s experience at her mother’s funeral, which is the first funeral they had attended, and how their neighbours tried to help the family with an overloading supply of lasagna filling their fridge and creating an abundance of still unclaimed Tupperware. She also relates her meeting with her Danny DeVito lookalike counsellor, and the effect counselling has had on her.

The single actor nature of Meteors means that there is nowhere to hide on stage and Pullinger’s performance is highly engaging and her skills as an actor are superb as she masterfully unfolds the narrative for the appreciative audience.
Connor Reidy directs Pullinger across the intimate space of The Breakout at The Mill incorporating Will Spartalis’s sound designs and compositions and signaling shifts in the script by using lighting changes. The stories exceptionally unfold on the minimalist stage with just a floor rug, a wooden chair, and a step to the stage. The other creative collaborators are Ren Williams and Pullinger’s brother Connor Pullinger.

Pullinger, Reidy and Williams are the co-founders of the Cram Collective and Meteors was developed through The Mill’s 2025 Centre Stage Residency in partnership with Adelaide Fringe through their Arts Industry Collaborations program and is their debut show at the Fringe serving as another important example why such programs are crucial for the development of young South Australian talent. While this is their Fringe debut, the Cram Collective have already created a growing list of well received productions.

Brilliantly written and performed, Meteors is an authentic story of a young person’s passage with grief through a series of deftly entwined anecdotes and a show that should be included in everyone’s Fringe program this year no matter how large or small that schedule is.

Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating; 5/5

Meteors season is:
Thu, 19 Feb – Sat, 07 Mar

Times: 6.00 pm

Venue: The Breakout at The Mill

For more information: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/meteors-af2026

To book tickets to Meteors, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/meteors-af2026.

Photographer: Daniel Marks

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Not Just A Cabaret, But An Experience

26/02/2026 Nicole V🥉

Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett Rating

★★★★★

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This review could be written in twelve words:
Risqué. Theatre. Elegance. High stakes. Top tier.
But, above all … liberating.

Bernie Dieter will capture your attention with her unabashed charisma and powerful vocal skills, and everyone who walks onto that stage will make you laugh, gasp, cry, cheer, and clap until your hands are stinging.

With world-class skills on and above the stage you can expect to be swept away by tap dancing, warmed by a fire breather, left gasping at aerial skills, awed by contortion, and serenaded in French. Not necessarily in that order, and not necessarily with their clothes on. Bernie’s magnificent vocals and her talented three-piece band support each performer as they showcase their jaw-dropping skills, with each performance lovingly lubricating you in preparation for the next.

You can expect the crowd to be involved, used as props for a song, having wigs and costumes thrown at them, and even assisting the performers on and off the stage. No one is safe, and it not only adds to the thrill of the performance, but also to the shared feeling of liberation away from the dark, dreary world outside of the Garden of Unearthly Delights. Bernie wraps her audience in her protective embrace while simultaneously making political statements to make you feel seen, to feel heard, and to feel loved. All while flaunting the most spectacular outfits.

The lights are a performance of their own, reflecting the sequins, glitter, and sweat, all while highlighting the cake smashing, the swords being swallowed (yes, really), and the many dazzling costumes. A world-tour like setup behind the three-piece band creates the feeling of being at a punk concert, encapsulating the decadence and extravagance of the Kabarett.

Not a moment of the show has gone unconsidered, resulting in a seamless performance with no lulls and a completely enraptured audience from start to finish. Be prepared to let go, be inspired by the unapologetic confidence on stage, and feel the unadulterated joy emanating from every corner of the show.

The energy and love emitting from the cast is palpable as they perform, assist, play, dance, and cheer along with the audience. Not once will you find yourself doubting the skills or the talent on the stage before you, and you will likely find yourself itching to tell everyone you know all about it.

If you’re only seeing one show at the Fringe, this should be it.

To book tickets to Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/bernie-dieter-s-club-kabarett-af2026.

Photographer: Cameron Grant

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Formosa Viva

26/02/2026 Nicole V🥉

Formosa Viva Rating

★★★★★

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As you enter the hall you can see the dancers already on stage, connected in a circle as they move their bodies in a wave. The lights brighten, the sound of rolling waves reaches a crescendo, and history begins.

The lights are simple but effective, rotating from the blue ocean, to a deep red pain, to lighter moments in time. Not missing any queues, the lighting boosts the emotional element, but also grounds the audience in the moment, expertly weaving itself in amongst the story. The costumes are simple; each dancer is wearing a white outfit, and each one unique to the dancer. This didn’t detract from the story, it showed the individuality of the dancers and their unique strengths throughout the performance.

The six performers take their audience on a historic journey, showcasing the battles, oppressions, and struggles, as well as the strength and resilience of Taiwan and its people. The dancers take turns stepping into the spotlight, showing their dancing prowess and skills, and work together seamlessly, their work, training, and teamwork obvious in the way they move with and around each other. They also work with the music, ensuring it is not a separate entity, but another element to the story they are telling.

Music can have the power to engage or overwhelm the audience. For Formosa Viva, the music guides the story along, but it never overpowers the dancers or the story. It adds depth and serves as a solid foundation to the visual aspect of the story. It complements the visuals projected onto the back wall behind the girls, showing the audience when in history they are visiting, but never distracting from their movements for long. The minimalistic set assists with ensuring the audience’s focus on the dancers, the visuals, and the emotions boiling from the stage.

Because even if you are not familiar with Taiwan’s history, at no point will you find yourself questioning what emotions the dancers are portraying. Whether it be through their dancing, their expressions, or interactions with one another, their grief, pain, joy, and everything in between shines through them with ease. The girls manipulate and control their bodies with the strength and prowess of seasoned, hard-working dancers, never tiring or missing a beat. The choreography is planned to within an inch of its life, with feet stepping where hands were a moment ago, bodies brushing past each other, and lifts made to look easy. Their movements and where they’re going next might keep you guessing, but you’ll be utterly enraptured the entire time.

To book tickets to Formosa Viva, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/formosa-viva-af2026.

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