Ro Dahl’s Drag Race

Ro Dahl's Drag Race

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

Hard Cheese: Rat in the City: One Last Bite

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!

How To Stay Married Without Exploding!

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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Primal

Primal

Primal Rating

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas, Fringe World Festival! It’s a time where Northbridge is abuzz with chatter of people who have just been to see a show and may not be quite sure what they just witnessed but loved it anyway, and the excitement of those on the way to their very first Fringe experience. It’s a time that brings people of all ages into the city and there truly is something for everyone…you just have to know what to choose. And there comes the hardest part of Fringe; there are SO many shows to choose from, with many a talented artist or group having toiled away for months or years to bring it to life with all their blood, sweat and I’m sure a lot of tears, only to experience small audiences. Quality over quantity definitely counts in some cases, with an engaged crowd providing the energy the artists thrive off to deliver their very best work.

One show that is definitely not light on energy from either the artists or the crowd is Primal, described as a circus for grown-ups inspired by the raw energy of the animal kingdom and the complexities of human relationships. From the opening musical number we were hooked; this 65-minute thrill ride in the Heath Ledger Theatre at the State Theatre Centre of WA, had me unsure of whether to be amazed or terrified with the strength and flexibility of this suite of performers. Clearly I’m getting old when I’m thinking ‘wow that is incredible, but how is she not hurting her neck?!’

 

 

From burlesque numbers, to amazing aerial acrobatics and sheer displays of female strength with the subversion of traditional gender roles, with some comic relief thrown in, Primal is exactly the sort of show that Fringe is all about. With a blank stage as their canvas, you weren’t distracted by fancy set pieces and became fully engaged, if not mesmerised by each act. The amount of trust the performers had in each other was clear as the tension in the theatre built of where they would take the show next. We had been instructed by the show’s fabulous emcee to hoot and holler as much as we wanted and the audience grasped that challenge with all their might. One stand out act in particular, early in the show had me waiting for the fire sprinklers in the theatre to go off, partly due to the heat between the performers.

I almost don’t know how to describe this show further without spoiling it, so you’re just going to have to trust me when I say this is one of the must-see shows of this year’s festival.

Primal runs daily from Wednesday 28th Jan to Sunday 1st Feb. While there is a matinee on the Saturday and Sunday for those who prefer to be ‘home by 9’; don’t let that fool you, this is an 18+ show.

With one week down and three more to go, there is plenty of time to experience the buzz of Fringe. Get out there and see as much as you can, big or small. Sure, ask your friends for recommendations but above all pick some random shows, because you never know what you may find…and that is the best part of Fringe.

To book tickets to Primal, please visit https://fringeworld.com.au/whats-on/primal-fw2026.

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