My favourite thing about Pride Fest so far is no two shows Iâve seen have been even remotely alike and Savannah Hankinsonâs âA Queer Little Murderâ was no exception to this. In fact, it was super different from anything Iâve seen recently. The concept is a whodunnit Agatha Christie type murder mystery but everyone is gay. No seriously, Hankinson plays six different, lesbian characters and the whole thing is VERY gay. I loved it.
New York resident, Hankinson, has also trained in London and Russia. As such, her accent and character work were impressive and if she ever messed up switching between all of these, she was able to correct herself in the voice of the narrator and protagonist named âTry-Hardâ. She mentioned at the start that she had just finalised and printed a new script that day, and I guess thatâs Fringe* baby! This was a very meta, intellectual exercise which was a little bit more like going to a script reading crossed with a one woman show. However, there were parts that came more naturally when Hankinson really got into the flow, and these were super fun.
There were some very funny lines and lots of queer references which made for an enjoyable Tuesday night outing. I usually go into shows without reading much into them, or the performers, so Iâve only just now looked into Hankinsonâs bio. She has taken this show to a very impressive list of Fringe festivals including in Hollywood, San Diego and soon she is going to Edinburgh! I see that it has sometimes been a full length play and sometimes the plot has been different, I wonder how often it changes? It would be cool to see Hankinson go script free to really connect with the audience and utilise the space more. Maybe in future shows she will.
My main gripe, as a lawyer, is that the murder was more like manslaughter and the evidence is not assessed very carefully. The whole thing wraps up quite quickly, and I wanted more depth and less backgroundâŠ
The set and lighting were fairly simple, but effective for telling the story as was Hankinsonâs costume as âTry-Hardâ a pandering softmasc lesbian. There was quite a small crowd on Tuesday night at Qtopia, but everyone was gripped and willing to participate. It was marked as audience participation, so I was mentally prepared for this but honestly there could have been more!
Overall, Hankinson was a wonderful performer and I really liked the concept. A must see for anyone who loves crime shows and/or is gay.
Rachel Tunaleyâs âRecovering Eldest Daughterâ 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 âMotion Sicknessâ in Adelaide Fringe in 2025 and absolutely loved it, so I was very interested in seeing what she had cooked up this year. The showâs 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. âRecovering Eldest Daughterâ 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 âseriousâ song or commenting that she couldnât have âmade itâ since she didnât 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 âDrama Queenâ, 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. âIntrusive thotâ 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, itâs a very professional and personal take on musical comedy and I think it wonât be long until she is off to Edinburgh!
Imagine crossing the rainbow street and walking into Qtopia on the first day of Pride month, only to be greeted by the one and only Kala Gareâs and Kalaâs incredibly beautiful, smiling face! Well, I donât have to imagine, because thatâs how this yearâs Homo Grown kicked off for me.
Home Grown Australia, are pioneers championing new theatre and musical theatre works in Australia. What started as a backyard pub meeting, now has the backing of MTIA and the Australian Government. Founded by Nick Hedger and Ben Nicholson, Home Grown have nurtured beloved Australian new works such as My Brilliant Career, FANGIRLS and A Trans Woman On The Internet, Crying.
Homo Grown is a Pride-full celebration of queer Aussie new works to be produced, to come and in progress. The queer celebration in the room was electric, not least of all because the multi-talented Kala Gare was guiding the ship.
Kala kicked us off with an original âHelloâ that speaks to âLetting freedom flowâ, which was a great set up for the night. Kalaâs skillful piano along with an incredible voice and sharp, relatable lyrics had us strapped in for âa wild ride, to say the least.â
Next up was Phoebe Rodger with the title song from upcoming âPhoebs, Youâre A Lesbianâ on June 10th – 12th at QTopia. Described as âa letter to my younger selfâ, this song was earnest, clever, cute, hilarious and relatable. Much like Phoebe. The second song was from a âyet to comeâ musical, it took us on a humorous journey of Phoebeâs ideal career discovery through a careerâs test.
Cassie Hamilton and Nic Prior then took to the stage for a snippet from Afterglow by Sheanna Parker Russon & Lillian M. Hearne which will be showing at the Belvoir and is described as a âBarbershop rom-comâ. Lillian introduced the piece and began to play, while Nic tore us into their deep, tender and sombre beginning. Cassie joined in and the duet echoed the lyrics âWith you I fitâ. Nicâs tender fragility of emotion is in stark contrast to the power of their voice, while Cassieâs sombre moments are only magnified by the reality of her powerhouse vocals. Cassie took to a solo called âNormal Michaelâ in which we got more of that voice, and what I can only describe as four seasons in one face, as we join the emotional journey of the character Cassie is embodying.
Matt Hawke then took us into their song from upcoming âBeautiful Liesâ on June 11th-14th at the Substation Qtopia. Described as one of the lies unpacked in therapy, we deep dive into Mattâs 20 year old identity exploration wrapped in self-deprecating humour. None of us saw the sharp turn from this jaunty piano-pleaser into an acoustic guitar heartwrenching homage to Mattâs deceased dog. It left the majority of the room in tears, and awe at its beauty.
Robbie Alexander and Alex Gonzales had to wipe away tears and reset for their performance from âTwenty-Somethingâ. Alex played the character, Charlieâs Mum, deadpanning that âIâm wearing a cardigan so you know Iâm a mum.â and meeting a lot of laughter. Alex performed âLong Story Shortâ with power, emotion and a lot of talent. Robbie performed âDelightfully Gayâ, showing us the tug of war between Angel and devil on the shoulder and reinforcing the lyrics âThereâs no such thing as âa little bit muchâ!â
Lincoln Elliot joined forces with Kala, Natalie Abbott, Gracie Rowland, Nead Cristaudo, Alex Gonzales, and friends for a snippet from the âyet to be announcedâ emo-rock heist. The performance of âCreativity Is An Island showcased exceptional musicianship and a palpable musical love and collaboration between the group.
Kurt Kansley and Oli Lidert were missing in action, enjoying their time in Moulin Rouge, but Katie Staddon did them proud and then some with âMore Than Words On A Pageâ. Katieâs vocal range is beyond comprehension, the melodies sublime. The swift shift from deep soul to angelic was out of this world.
Meg Rob took us on a solemn and sincere ride with âStep Into Infinityâ, showcasing an ability to embody the characteristics of an introvert grappling with personal trauma, while knocking our socks of with some big belts. Those who saw Meg in Jagged Little Pill will be familiar with this ability to take an audience on a wonderful and surprising ride. Catch Megâs show âMake It Queerâ 25th-26th June at Loading Dock, Qtopia.
We finished with the cast and creatives from Nails 25th-27th June at The Eternity Playhouse. Created by Sophie Davis and Laura McDonald, and composer Harry Collins. This netball based comedic musical has a lot of balls (see what I did there?). Nead Cristaudo had us captivated as the coach, mixing brilliant comedic timing with powerful vocals.
Then the large ensemble cast and creatives from Nails finished us off on a high with Natalieâs gorgeous voice and some epic harmonies being the highlights of this final piece. It was an incredible finish to a night of unprecedented talents and not-to-be-missed new works! Make sure you catch these and as many Pridefest shows as you can this month. More than ever, we need to join together and support each other. Happy Pride!
