Sydney - Whats The Show

Do You Want Lies With That?

08/06/2026 Kirsty Dale🥉

Do You Want Lies With That? Rating

★★★★★

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I love Fringe festivals. And Qtopia’s Pridefest is essentially a Fringe festival for solely queer art so it’s even better! One of the highlights of Fringe is diversity in programming and everyone having space to produce their weird and wonderful shows. On Friday night, I got to peek inside Burger Queen’s mind for an hour. She put on a cabaret/comedy hour about being fiercely queer, proud of yourself and maybe just a little bit jaded with the current dating pool in Sydney.

Though there was only a small crowd on Friday, Burger Queen had something about her that made us want to participate and bring the energy to the room. She is a drag performer from Western Sydney who considers herself an elder queen, a queen of wisdom and advice for younger queens as evidenced with her friendship with Anita Book. Their intergenerational friendship was platformed throughout the show and this was very heartwarming. Anita is a young gun queen who I’m sure has a wonderful drag career ahead of her. She treated us to a lipsync of a classic 80s Bananarama banger in which her attitude and charisma were palpable.

There were some great song choices in the and Burger Queen’s voice was well suited to many of these, especially the song from Muriel’s Wedding. I especially enjoyed her original song which was called “All You Can Eat” - I can’t wait for this to come out on Spotify. Truly inspired. Some of the other songs could have done with some editing, sometimes you can get your meaning across and keep the show moving in a more punchy way by slicing up the songs a little.

I really enjoyed Burger Queen's vulnerability. At the beginning she seemed nervous as she wasn’t connecting with the audience much. However, a couple of songs in and with some chatting, she opened up and was both engaging and endearing. Her comedy was relatable, though at times repetitive and often self-deprecating. I loved the cheekiness of referring back to notes (and perhaps resonated with the neurospiciness of this) although I do think this made it harder at times to connect with the audience. It seemed that perhaps every show Burger Queen does is different, depending on how she feels on the night. The show I saw didn't hit some of the points I was looking forward to based on the description, namely grumpy customer service and an indictment of capitalism.

I would have liked to see Anita Book take a more active role, as it became a little one note with her reading on the side, maybe she could have passed the black folder to Burger Queen, been a back up dancer for some songs or helped facilitate an outfit change to add some dynamics to the staging and the show. The lighting was well utilised and the conversational tone of the show put the audience at ease.

Burger Queen’s subversive statement of wearing crocs on stage and the idea of the costuming, aka wearing whatever you want was powerful, but I believe there could have (always) been more rhinestones. Overall, this show was a big fuck you to the expectations placed on performers and was a really gritty, fringe style, self-produced chaotic hour in a way that makes you love it.

To book tickets to Do You Want Lies With That?, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Do-You-Want-Lies-With-That-.

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Recovering Eldest Daughter

07/06/202607/06/2026 Kirsty Dale🥉

Recovering Eldest Daughter Rating

★★★★★

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Rachel Tunaley’s “Recovering Eldest Daughter” was a riotous way to spend Saturday night. It was her first time performing in Sydney but not my first time watching her perform. I saw her show “Motion Sickness” in Adelaide Fringe in 2025 and absolutely loved it, so I was very interested in seeing what she had cooked up this year. The show’s description gripped me from the outset with mentions of mental illness and eldest daughter syndrome, and it did not disappoint. However, I do not think you need to be an eldest daughter to enjoy the show. It was cleverly Australian and relatable for anyone who has dealt with a perfectionist, overbearing, control freak in their life or just has a family really.

I attended with my housemate and we have both been dealing with another, departing housemate who has her share of mental illness and neurospiciness. “Recovering Eldest Daughter” was the collective, cathartic release we, and all the audience, needed. Rachel cleverly used audience participation to keep engagement and make it feel like a group therapy session. Her connection with the audience was electric and quips breaking the fourth wall were inspired, especially when she was admonishing us for laughing hard in a “serious” song or commenting that she couldn’t have “made it” since she didn’t have a full house. My housemate and I did not stop laughing through the whole performance.

Rachel used brilliantly simple lighting, staging and props to convey big ideas. I always love shows that use a projection to their advantage, especially in this age of social media. Recovering Eldest Daughter did this extremely well with real clips from Rachel's life showcasing that she has always been a self-proclaimed “Drama Queen”, as well as lyrics for audience sing-a-long participation and really driving her points home visually. Straight away we knew who she was and where the show was going which is reassuring as an audience member. Voice over was also used to add layers and introduce us to other characters though it was just Rachel on the stage.

When I saw motion sickness (if I remember correctly) Rachel was using songs we knew but changing the lyrics to fit the story. This time, it seemed to be original music and that she has found her own voice and something more to say. The pace was perfect, it allowed you to really take in the message but we were not able to get bored. Rachel is a very talented performer with a powerful voice and not only for cabaret or musical theatre style tunes but busts out into rap too. Her dancing and physical comedy was hilarious and she really committed to the bit. “Intrusive thot” was a huge highlight for us, we even bought merch! Throughout the show, Rachel was very open and vulnerable, sharing quite a personal story about her journey to acceptance of her mental health diagnosis and work healing her inner child. Who knew it was as simple as a cheeky dopamine purchase!

I highly recommend seeing this show while Rachel is in Sydney, it’s a very professional and personal take on musical comedy and I think it won’t be long until she is off to Edinburgh!

To book tickets to Recovering Eldest Daughter, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Recovering-Eldest-Daughter.

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A Play For Everyone, Not Just Fans Of The Game

06/06/2026 Steve Willems🥈🦉🎭🎬

W Rating

★★★★★

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I’m not a sports fan, and I certainly don’t follow any of the Australian football codes, so I wasn’t sure if W, the new play by Madelaine Nunn, would be for me. Starting with the background noise of a packed stadium, with all the chanting, drums, and noise, we’re introduced to four key players of an AFLW football team and their coach as a talented new player, Casey (Celeste Cortes-Davis) joins the ranks. It’s the start of the season, and each player is individually set up to what their story is going to be. The returning new mum, the talented athlete playing in her brother’s shadow, the veteran captain along with her partner planning a baby.

The story tracks the women through the season as they aim to make the finals. As the drama and conflict begin the escalate, characters are faced with moral dilemmas, sacrifice, and professional expectations. Director Rachel Chant did a fantastic job creating an immersive and enthralling performance, with engaging transitions between scenes mixing mime with dance to bring the game alive. The whole technical team did a great job, and the locker-room set was fully immersive.

While some of the early jokes seemed unnaturally crude and didn’t feel right, most of the dialogue was snappy and well balanced. It took a little while for the story to warm up, but when it did, I found myself thoroughly engaged. The characters were deep and human, led by the veteran captain, Rosie (Shannon Ryan) whose personal struggles between desire, injury, and legacy, threaten to derail the team and their season.

Cortes-Davis as Casey, was also great as the talented newcomer who wants to prove herself and become a star like Rosie, but doesn’t yet understand how to navigate the media in professional sport. To be fair, the cast were all really good and gave it their all. For me the highlight was Danielle Cormack as the head coach, Sue. She was funny, charming, and ferocious. Sometimes all at once. I felt like I had to lift my game and play better. I’m Sorry Sue. I’ll follow the system.

It may have been a slow start as I learned about ach character’s journey, by the end of the season I was thoroughly entertained. W a funny and dramatic story about the struggles of professional sport and how every choice has a consequence. A play that can be enjoyed by everyone, not just fans of the game.

W is playing At the Old Fitz theatre in Darlinghurst until the 14th of June.

To book tickets to W, please visit https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/w-the-play.

Photographer: Phil Erbacher

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Get Yourself Along To See It - These Are Stories That Deserve To Be Witnessed

06/06/2026 Chantal Harrison Writer🥈🎭😂

Sheltering Rating

★★★★★

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Sheltering was enthusiastically introduced by Artistic Director and Co-CEO Frances Rings, alongside Director of Community Relations Kirk Page, whom I was already a fan of from Dear Son at Belvoir earlier this year. It was a warm, personal welcome that set the tone perfectly for what followed.

Sheltering is a triple bill that beats with the heart of Bangarra's community spirit, truth-telling and connection to culture. All three works were developed through Bangarra's Dance Clan program, founded in 1998, to nurture community-focused, choreographic storytelling, empowering dancers and creators to dream up and express in their own language, under expert mentorship. This season marks Bangarra's first national tour since being awarded the prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance by the Biennale Danza 2026. That context matters. This is a company at the peak of its legacy, and also looking boldly forward.

"Keeping Grounded", choreographed by Indjalandji-Dhidhanu and Alyawarre person Glory Tuohy-Daniell, is a fascinating piece. The dancers move between the net, the suspension and shakiness of which requires their deep attention, care and uses their energy. In contrast, they move fluidly in tandem with one another when they connect with the ground and their roots.Composer Brendon Boney's score is a beautiful element throughout, and Karen Norris' lighting sculpts the space, allowing the dancers to meet each shift in the music with precision and presence. As Tuohy-Daniell writes, this work is "an invitation to notice. To consider how small, almost forgotten actions can create an effect through the body and mind. A step barefoot. A moment of stillness. A return."

"Brown Boys", co-directed by Daniel Mateo and Cass Mortimer Eipper, with Mateo performing, is an exquisite piece of dance poetry presented on screen. In just six minutes, Mateo takes us on a journey through the holistic, physical and spiritual experience of brown men navigating identity, belonging and the perceptions imposed upon them, and the quest to come home to themselves. Composer Leon Rodgers' soundscape holds the film in something both tender and expansive. It is beautiful, and it is genuinely moving. Mateo puts it simply: "I want to give this film to boys who grew up like me, so they can connect, and through that, the village expands."

"Sheoak", choreographed by Frances Rings and originally premiering in 2015, closes the evening. Created in response to the deeply offensive "lifestyle choice" comments made by a former Prime Minister about remote Aboriginal communities, it is a work of reclamation; those words taken back, rebuilt, and transformed. Jacob Nash's set design and Jennifer Irwin's costuming are impeccable; the visual world of this piece is as layered as its emotional one. Across its three sections; Place, Body, Spirit… we witness systemic trauma, rupture, and ultimately, renewal. It is a deep, at times dark, emotional ride, with movement and choreography that created many audible gasps and intakes of breath.

Afterwards, we were lucky enough to meet the dancers and hear about each of their origins and their time with Bangarra; a reminder that these are not just extraordinary performers but custodians of living stories.

Bangarra has long held a reputation for Black excellence, magnificent storytelling, and uniquely impressive talent. Sheltering doesn't just add to that history; it extends it, with one eye firmly on the next generation of First Nations creatives being given the space and mentorship to bring their own stories to the stage.

Get yourself along to see it. These are stories that deserve to be witnessed.

To book tickets to Sheltering, please visit https://www.bangarra.com.au/productions/sheltering/.

Photographer: Daniel Boud

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