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
