Perth - Whats The Show

I Am Grease Grillson

01/02/2026 Manuela Kacomanolis🥈

I Am Grease Grillson Rating

★★★★★

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I wasn’t sure what to expect as I entered The Jonesway Theatre in Northbridge to watch I am Grease Grillson, one of the many shows currently on for the Perth Fringe Festival.

For those who are unaware, the Fringe Festival is an opportunity for various performers and artists to showcase their talents.

Having met at clown school in France, yes there is such a thing as clown school, performer Elise Wilson and director Duncan Young teamed up for the creation of I am Grease Grillson.

You may come away from this show thinking what on earth was that all about. In this instance, it would be best to go to the show with an open mind.

The show opens with solo performer, Elise dressed in character as Grease Grillson in heavyweight lifting attire topping it off with a drawn-on moustache and body hair, lifting an elephant, not real of course as it’s all mimed.

The storyline is, by design or by limitation, a little thin. Grease Grillson, a heavyweight lifter who moves through life with a persistent belief that he is “not enough,” punctuated by flashbacks from his time in an orphanage through to his eventual success. The orphanage material usefully signals the origin of the character’s insecurity.

Nonetheless, as a performance grounded in clowning, mime, and physical comedy, it delivers consistent entertainment, proving that, even when the storyline is light, rigorous physical craft can carry the evening.

To book tickets to I Am Grease Grillson, please visit https://fringeworld.com.au/whats-on/i-am-grease-grillson-fw2026.

Photographer: Sophie Minissale

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Ro Dahl’s Drag Race

30/01/2026 Natalie Rees🥉

Ro Dahl’s Drag Race Rating

★★★★★

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Ever since I lived a stone’s throw away from Sydney’s infamous Stonewall Hotel on Oxford Street in Darlinghurst, I’ve had a fascination with drag queens. Their makeup, their costumes, and the way they move has always mesmerised me.

So when I got the opportunity to review Ro Dahl’s Drag Show, I was curious to see if Perth’s drag scene could bring it like their Sydney sisters—and bring it they did.

As I sat down in Perth’s iconic Connection Nightclub, I was whisked back to some blurry memories of visiting here as a younger woman. The audience was a diverse mix of ages, sexes, and ethnicities—everyone was welcome.

The show opened with our host for the night, the beautiful and elegant Moxie Heart as the glamorous Fantastic Mr Fox, instantly creating a warm and fun atmosphere. I must commend her impeccable drag queen voice—sweet, smooth, and polished. She treated us to an introductory dance flanked by the fantastic Peach Pit Crew; I felt like I was watching a Backstreet Boys music video from the ’90s—so much fun!

From that moment on, the smile was pasted on my face and didn’t leave for the entirety of this fabulous show. The joy the performers clearly exuded was contagious, with the audience clapping along throughout.

This group of showgirls is incredibly talented and endlessly entertaining. From watching Charlie Bucket (Jaxon Coke) twirl across the stage, flipping with outstanding acrobatics, to Veruca Salt (Veruca Sour) gracing us with her award-winning burlesque moves, the entertainment never stopped rolling.

The standout performance had to go to Sassie Cassie as the Witch. Her commitment to character is paramount, and she was definitely the performer who made me smile the most—nearly falling off my chair as she waltzed down the aisle during her act. Her makeup and costume were phenomenal. Knowing it can take her up to five hours to paint that beautiful face, I am in total awe of the dedication involved.

Special mention must also go to Beau Pash as Roly Poly Bird, a clearly seasoned drag queen who had the audience in fits of laughter. Brenda Wee as Matilda was absolutely adorable with clever costume reveals, and Bush Rat as Willy Wonka proved to be a highly talented dancer.

There is so much to love about this show—the energy, the extraordinary lip-syncing, the humour. It will leave you wanting more.

My 60-year-old mother, whom I took along, summed it up perfectly with her first comment: “When can we go again?” She truly enjoyed it immensely.

I implore you to get out of the house and see this Fringe show before you miss it. The art of drag is completely underrated, and I can guarantee you won’t go home disappointed—you’ll go home buzzing and wanting more.

To book tickets to Ro Dahl’s Drag Race, please visit https://fringeworld.com.au/whats-on/ro-dahl-s-drag-race-fw2026.

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Hard Cheese: Rat in the City: One Last Bite

28/01/2026 Sarah Schmitt🥉

Hard Cheese: Rat in the City: One Last Bite Rating

★★★★★

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Hard Cheese: Rat in the City: One Last Bite is a delirious descent into the cracked psyche of its rodent anti-hero, and a gleefully unhinged love letter to neo-noir theatre. The rat. The myth. The legend. Harland “Hard Cheese” Cheese is dragged back into the underworld of hard-rind police work for his most maddening case yet, led by an old friend-turned-enemy, experience a cat-and-rat chase that feels less like a mystery and more like a hallucinatory spiral.

Trauma from three years earlier gnaws at our hero as he searches for his missing true love, Alison Brie, the real-life actress. Guided by his most trusted investigative tools – a Magic 8 Ball rattling around in his pocket and a set of bones, Harland “Hard Cheese” fumbles through the city searching for clues. Call it fate, destiny or celebrity obsession; every rat has its trap, and this one snaps hard.

Presented at the Blue Room Theatre as part of Fringe World Perth, this Dream Simulator production is a design-led hour of fun. Cardboard sets lend a scrappy, comic texture to a world that is otherwise shadowy and dark, while exaggerated movement, stark lighting and clever shadow play evoke classic detective cinema with a surreal twist. Puppets, masks and props are used inventively, allowing scenes to flow with cartoon logic.

Absurd, confusing, dark and hilarious, Hard Cheese leaves you scratching your head and wanting more. The talented cast made up of Lachlan Ives, Tash Pearson, Ellien Warden, Natalia Myślińska and James Brooks, delivers committed, fearless performances. With this creativity and talent, it’s clear this crew have exciting futures ahead of them. Hard Cheese: Rat in the City is strange, lurid, and utterly compelling theatre. What great fun it was.

Hard Cheese: Rat in the City: One Last Bite is showing at The Blue Room Theatre until Jan 31st as part of Fringe World Perth.

To book tickets to Hard Cheese: Rat in the City: One Last Bite, please visit https://blueroom.org.au/events/hard-cheese-rat-in-the-city-one-last-bite/.

Photographer: Sean Breadsell

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How To Stay Married Without Exploding!

28/01/2026 Carmen Jenner🥉

How To Stay Married Without Exploding! Rating

★★★★★

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Do you remember that trapped feeling we had while in lockdown during the pandemic? Well, imagine being confined not only to your house, but to less than a square metre in your living room for 10 years. This unlucky predicament is exactly what Francis Molloy found himself in when forced to stand with both feet on top of an unexploded landmine in his living room.

Set in Berlin in 1955, Francis turns this strange turn of events into content by creating the reality TV show “How to Stay Married Without Exploding!” It’s the 400th episode, and it’s auspicious because his wife, Annette, plans to make her debut during this episode. Given the circumstances, you would think that marriage would be the least of Francis’ concerns.

This one-man production raises so many questions. Some answers are organically revealed, and others, the audience asks while acting as the TV audience. It’s the kind of show requiring a certain degree of suspended disbelief, and I challenge you to ask a question that Francis doesn’t have an answer to.

Played by the American-born theatre-maker Matthew J. Young, with further development, this has the makings of being transformed into a podcast or YouTube channel.

If you’ve ever felt trapped in any facet of life or relationship, you’ll relate. Performed at three historic venues, including Julio’s Italian Restaurant, the character-filled settings are the perfect backdrop to this nostalgic performance. It’s only fitting to order a martini as you cheer Francis along on his dark journey of self-discovery.

“How to stay married without exploding!” Plays from Friday 23rd January to Friday 13th February at Julio’s Italian, Midland Junction Arts Centre and Mahogany Inn and Distillery.

To book tickets to How To Stay Married Without Exploding!, please visit https://fringeworld.com.au/whats-on/how-to-stay-married-without-exploding-fw2026.

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