fringe festival

MARVELous Maniacal Mayhem

MARVELous The Show

MARVELous The Show Rating

★★★★★

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MARVELous at the Adelaide Festival Fringe is an ambitious, high-energy, and BIG production that showcases the incredible talents of a remarkably athletic ten-member cast performing impressive aerial stunts, live vocals, and raunchy dance routines with technical proficiency.

This risqué parody aims to combine superheroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe with musical theatre and film – a considerable stretch; however, the MARVELous company achieve this feat with ease.

Integrating these seemingly disconnected theatrical phenomena begins with a musical number reminiscent of a Las Vegas cabaret show that quickly turns the cheesy appeal of this style of theatre into a satirical spoof. Deadpool, in his inimatable style, narrates the twists and turns of an adult only bedtime story as only he can!

 

MARVELous The Show
MARVELous The Show

The industrial styled setting is impressive as the performers own the stage, transforming familiar musicals such as Dirty Dancing, Magic Mike, Wicked, Flashdance, The Greatest Showman and Hamilton into spectacular and hilarious routines.

The audience is bombarded with satirical references to the associated Hollywood stars, generating genuine spontaneous laughter as the cast’s delivery packs just the right amount of punch.

Cohesively integrated into this raunchy bedtime tale was the lighting, laser, and smoke effects complimented by an atmospheric rock-infused soundtrack, all topped off by eye-catching costumes that had just the right amount of tear away pants and sassy tongue in cheek nudity choreographed into entertaining dance routines.

MARVELous is a witty, clever and fun night out – with or without an insight into the Marvel Universe this risqué and comedic parody is great entertainment and a really good belly laugh!

To book tickets to MARVELous The Show, please visit https://gluttony.net.au/shows/show/1106/marvelous-the-show

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The importance of being fruit

Fruition

Fruition Rating

★★★★★

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Well, this is an interesting, fun show. It’s comedy clowning at its best. It’s a rollicking, frolicking comedy about fruit, its position in society, and its relevance to the main character, Cherese.

We learn why fruit is fun, why she loves all fruit, and why she also loves us, the audience. The show consists of a variety of sketches that flow smoothly from one to another.

For Cherese Sonkkila, this is her debut Fringe show. She has plenty of energy, and it keeps flowing. Hopefully, we will see more work from she/her in the future.

Fruition
Fruition
Fruition

The sketches have a variety of styles, from song and dance to monologues. There are costume changes off stage, although in a couple of places, the performances are a fraction too long. But it was opening night.

This is a show worth seeing. It is a fun event with some audience participation, which I normally don’t like, but I enjoyed it. So, get a ticket or several and take yourself to the Mill on Angas Street.

To book tickets to Fruition, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/fruition-af2025

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Mel McGlensey’s Motorboat: A Hilarious High-Seas Adventure

Mel McGlensey is Motorboat

Mel McGlensey Is Motorboat Rating

★★★★★

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If you’re in the mood for a wildly absurd, delightfully unhinged, and incredibly physical comedy experience, then Mel McGlensey Is Motorboat is your perfect Fringe vessel. Docked at the Bally in Gluttony, this boat-woman hybrid performance is a riotous ride through high-energy clowning, audience interaction, and some very “nautical but nice” humour.

McGlensey, a 2024 Golden Gibbo nominee and winner of Best Comedy at Adelaide Fringe 2024, fully commits to her larger-than-life character. With a sailor’s outfit ingeniously doubling as boat parts—including some particularly buoyant “floatation devices”—she embraces every wave of ridiculousness with infectious enthusiasm.

From the moment Motorboat sets sail, the audience becomes her crew, each assigned a boat type in a flurry of improvised banter that McGlensey expertly weaves back into the show for maximum comedic payoff.

Mel McGlensey is Motorboat
Mel McGlensey is Motorboat

The story? Motorboat dreams of leaving the dock and venturing into the great unknown, but she’s held back by the booming, omnipresent voice of Captain Daddy. But as any good Fringe audience knows, staying anchored is never an option. What follows is a rollicking, often improvised voyage where McGlensey’s quick wit, expressive clowning, and razor-sharp comedic instincts keep the crowd both on edge and in stitches.

The humour is far from subtle—expect a bit of salty language and some audience participation—the energy and commitment of the performance keeps things afloat for the entire show.

With her formidable improv skills and natural comedic presence, McGlensey delivers a show that is as silly as it is skilful. Whether you’re a tugboat, an ocean liner or a lowly kayak, Motorboat is a high-spirited, side-splittingly funny voyage well worth embarking on. Just batten down the hatches—things are bound to get a little choppy!

To book tickets to Mel McGlensey is Motorboat, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/mel-mcglensey-is-motorboat-af2025

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Trawled

Trawled

Trawled Rating

★★★★★

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A one-man biography of an adventure that went sour. Eoin Ryan presents this version of survival on the high seas.

This is his story as a backpacker in Australia wanting to embark on an amazing adventure, by a little white lie about his skills on a fishing boat. The adventure turns into a nightmare as Eoin realizes how hard the fishermen are. He regrets his decision in the end.

It is a fascinating tale but marred by a voice that disappears into the dark reaches of the venue, making it difficult to hear some of the quieter dialogue. Also, some of the technical elements were a bit rough. This could be attributed to first night jitters.

I am sure that it will improve as the season settles into the venue. The only other issue is mainly a venue problem, that is if the performer steps down to the same level as the seating, the audience do have a struggle to see the performer.

Trawled
Trawled

Eoin used the stylised set to good use. The narrative flows smoothly and you get a sense of the emotions he felt on the fishing trip. Which included drinking, fighting and the occasional storm. The toxic surroundings he has found himself in, has become violent. He needs to survive the sea and the crew.

The story is good, and Eoin knows it well as he lived it. Just a bit more volume and energy would make it really sail. Overall the audience seemed to enjoy it.

All sessions are followed by a Q and A, so you get the chance to ask questions. It is worth going along to see, I am sure the kinks have been sorted.

To book tickets to Trawled, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/trawled-when-adventure-becomes-survival-af2025

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