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Adore Händel: A Baroque Birthday Bash of Scandal, Sass and Spectacle

11/10/202611/10/2026 Nicole Salinger🥈⚡🎭😂🎪

Adore Händel’s Birthday Party: Little Black Book Vol. 3 Rating

★★★★★

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On a balmy Friday night, The Melbourne Fringe has upped-its-ante. As I await to enter its famed Archive room to see Adore Händel’s latest instalment, ‘Adore Händel Birthday Party: Little Black Book Vol. 3’, I am greeted in the foyer by characters walking around in costume: a life-sized lobster encased in glitterati and a death-defying clown in gothic garb, preparing me for a night of theatrical otherworldly-ness.

A sold out evening. A 60-seat theatre. A high-ceiling room – one side laden with tall grey architraves. The other?With pencil-lined burgundy stencilling on the walls. The scene unfolding? I am a guest at the birthday party of Adore Händel, no less. A spectacle-inducing,18th century time-travelling Baroque performer, who is turning 269 years old.

But age is only a number. For in the span of an hour, I am transported to the world of Adore, conceived by Melbourne-based baritone Luke Bell. Where, like an 18th century rock star, he bursts upon the stage singing ‘Sweet time traveller’, laden in the theatrical brilliance of maximalist European court hair, makeup and fancy-pants, party-hearty costuming. Think ornate embellishments. Luxe ribboning. Puffed-up hot and light pink organza sleeves with gold detailing.
And… a larger-than-life, quick-witted personality to match.

The scene I have entered? Adore’s annual birthday fest, where with a flourish-and-a-disney-ditty, plans to launch his little black book documenting a plethora of scandalous dalliances that he has kept a secret, until now.

Proudly singing the “Toreador Song” from Carmen, Adore boasts about the excitement, danger, and glory of his past lovers and ill-advised rendezvous, lost in a bullring of scandal and bon-vivant desire, much to the audiences delight.

But alas? This rapturous little book has disappeared. Sheepish and embarrassed, Adore frantically tries to contact Peter, his long-time assistant, while giving us a dramatic rendition of Queen’s ‘The show must go on’, despite these sets of most unfortunate circumstances.

And so, Adore is on a mission, to rescue his prized possession and set out to capture the unsuspecting wrongdoer of this heinous, unforgiving crime.

Paranoid as an unraveled-pearl-torn-from-its-seam, Adore interacts with the audience to see if they were indeed the culprit – as he searches for means, motive and opportunity.

Hilarity ensues as Adore peeps out at us like a crime-solving Sherlock Holmes. A microscope is shone across our faces. Suspiciously searching with mild interrogation as to who has stolen his prized possession, time is fleeting by. Without a clue to stand on, and desperate for some answers, Adore thinks that perhaps the shifty culprit may be linked to one of his past lovers.

With misty-eyed recollections, brilliantly scripted by Hannah Belle, Adore then sings ‘Bring on the men’, and does the unthinkable – daring to take us on a journey back to his time-travelling past. To surprisingly unveil the stories of three seperate ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ – that may unmask the identity of this high-octane thievery.

And thus, we are taken on a cart-ride of Cinderella-like proportions. From a fiery 18th century ball in Venice; to a late 1930’s horse-riding heist in the American West; to a pop record-deal gone wrong, we are indeed on the case of this mad whodunnit.

But it is Luke Bell who truly steals this show with his tremendous collection of hilarious antics and standout vocal gymnastics. A rendition of a testosterone-fuelled Johnny Cash song, ‘Ring Of Fire’, that rouses the audience to laugh and clap alongside him. His beautifully baritone voice cutting through with deep resonance during ‘Cry Me A River’, with misty-eyed, emotional substance. His instrumental talents of playing a kazoo, and finally, having a glass of Chardonnay while blowing a party blower out as a cigarette. No pun intended.

In all, this Cabaret-style show, lovingly produced by Lydia Keulsen, has sass, style and bawdy humour all rolled-into-one, purely for those of us who just want to be entertained at the highest level. If you love campy wit, a rumpy-bumpy storyline, standout operatic singing and tight-as-a-corset choreography, then this striking show is for you.

To book tickets to Adore Händel’s Birthday Party: Little Black Book Vol. 3, please visit https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/adore-haendels-birthday-party.

Photographer: Bri Hammond

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Belvoir St Theatre’s A Room With a View is Full of Heart and Humour

10/10/2026 Linda Lokhee🏆💎🔥🦉🎭

A Room With a View Rating

★★★★★

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Grace Chapple’s “A Room With a View”, based on the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster, was a delightful adaptation brought to stage, with a dose of heartfelt romance and subtle yet at other times bold, uproarious humour.

At first glance the set was minimal. A few chairs, tall doors and windows introduced the audience to a hotel room in Florence. This remained the set throughout the whole play, with some additions. It became apparent as the play progressed that the set did not need to be cluttered with period furniture and ornate furnishings. The costumes were beautiful and intricately detailed enough to place us in the exact time period of the early 1900’s, courtesy of set and costume designer Zoe Atkinson.
Lighting designer Amelia Lever-Davidson, sound designer Madeleine Picard and composer Grace Ferguson pulled together masterfully to create an atmosphere to surround the characters and convey exactly where they were at any given time. This was through nuanced lighting and clever sound design. One standout scene was when three characters, George Emerson (Luke Wiltshire) Freddy (Tomas Kantor) and Mr Beebe (Tom Conroy) went swimming in the pond in the woods in Surrey. When they ducked under the water in a circle together, the light spotlit the men using cool blue tones and underwater meditative sounds. This, combined with the actors’ slow and exaggerated ‘underwater movements’ and playful interactions whilst holding their breaths had me almost believing they were going to emerge from this scene totally soaked when their heads popped up.

“A Room With a View” follows Lucy Honeychurch (Nathalie Morris) as she begins her holiday in Florence with the older and wiser (in her own words) Charlotte (Hayley McElhinney). Charlotte has been put in charge by Lucy’s mum Mrs Honeychurch (Kate Atkinson). She is accompanying her naive-to-the world cousin and promises to keep Lucy safe and ladylike, a responsibility which she takes extremely seriously. McElhinney’s exacting potrayal of an anxious Charlotte rang true to her character, kudos to her.

It is in Florence where the ladies meet Mr Emerson (Patrick Williams) and his kind hearted son George (Luke Wiltshire). He offers his room with a beautiful view of the piazza to Charlotte and Lucy after overhearing them wishing their room had a view. Morris effortlessly became her character and immersed into Lucy with ease, portraying her as a young woman genuinely torn between acting as society expects – a respectful and quiet young lady – and the need to burst out of her conventional self to bloom into a spirited woman who wants more than being a subservient wife and living a sombre life.

Williams played Mr Emerson well, portraying his kind, honest and truthful heart in a calm and likeable manner. His poetic delivery of advice towards the end hits to the core of the play and the message the audience are left to ponder – “We fight for more than Love or Pleasure; there is Truth. Truth counts, Truth does count.” – is poignant.

There are outings together in Florence and one day, they are taken on a sight seeing trip led by a confident and outgoing Italian driver, portrayed by Tomas Kantor. After the British tourists leave, the Italian driver, cigarette in hand, turns to the audience and begins a one way conversation. He spoke expressively about the tourists in fluent Italian, even pouring a drink from a wine bottle into a glass that he gave to some front row patrons, thus breaking the fourth wall. How did we know what he was saying? With the very creative use of subtitles! This was done the 1900’s way with a projector and with the Italian driver manually clicking through slides as he spoke. This delighted myself and from the audience’s laughs, they appreciated it too.

Later, the play progresses to Windy Corner and Surrey where Lucy lives with her mum Mrs Honeychurch (Kate Atkinson) and her younger and animated brother Freddie, played by Tomas Kantor. Mr Beebe, the local Pastor who had also been in Italy, has new neighbours move in who happen to be Mr Emerson and his son George. They had been invited to stay by Mr Cecil Vyse (Charles Wu). Lucy announces her engagement to Cecil. Wu’s portrayal of Cecil is excellent, and we see that this upper class character, “a fortunate man of leisure”, is a mismatch for dynamic Lucy. There is a very funny scene which highlights this. Lucy, George and Freddy are playing tennis. As each ball hits the tennis racquet, it was highlighted with a live note struck by Patrick Williams discreetly situated at the back behind the windows on a keyboard. As they are screaming with laughter, running around and having rallies (resulting in a shower of musical notes being played), Cecil sits on the umpires chair, trying to read a novel and looking extremely uncomfortable amongst the physicalities and laughter from his fiancé and the men. Lucy is faced with the choice of continuing her engagement or breaking it off with Cecil, and trusting and following her heart, to wherever and to whomever that may be.

Serious themes such as the complexities of one’s heart, women in society, family and class structure and expectations are balanced perfectly with the lighter moments brought to the stage by the cast. One such scene comes with a full frontal nudity scene warning on the program, and not having viewed the program before the play began, this particular scene was a surprise and created the intended hilarious response from myself and from the audience. Director Hannah Goodwin, A Belvoir St Fellowship Awardee, has brought together a captivating and complete reimagining of a novel nearly one hundred and twenty years old, and it is a timeless theatrical masterpiece! Book your tickets to “A Room With a View” at The Belvoir Theatre soon, before it changes its room with a view and onwards travels to Melbourne.

“A Room With a View” is playing from 3 October – 1 November at The Belvoir St Theatre.
25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills 2010.
Run Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes (including a 20 minute interval)
Tickets: www.belvoir.com.au/productions/a-room-with-a-view

To book tickets to A Room With a View, please visit https://belvoir.com.au/productions/a-room-with-a-view/.

Photographer: Brett Boardman

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The Human Centipede Parody Musical

10/10/202610/10/2026 Amanda Harrison⭐🦉

The Human Centipede Parody Musical Rating

★★★★★

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The Human Centipede Parody Musical is a Horrifying yet Hilarious time that knows how to poke fun at itself, the source material and the audience. Liam Hartley and Oliver Catton take us on a journey that follows the disturbing goals of Dr. Heiter (Beau Wykes) to create a ‘Human Centipede’ from three people. Heiter sets his sights on Lindsay (Rae Rose), Jenny (Georg Gleeson) and Katsuro (Chris Nguyen) but as the missing persons pile up; Detectives Kranz and Voller (Casey Martin and Douglas Berry) give chase. This chaotic musical does delight with appropriately absurd characters, catchy show-tunes and exciting choreography. Maureen Bowra and Liam Hartley should be commended on their fantastic use of the space and inventively funny choreography, dance numbers tied to wheeling office chairs is quite an achievement. There was a lovely attention to detail in set pieces, styling and design that kept the story flowing and the audience immersed.

There were moments where the comedic timing was a little out, and the pace lulled quite drastically at the beginning of act two; however the energy from this cast was more than enough to hold the show strong. Martin and Berry brought ecstatic levels of energy to their roles, never wavering no matter what they were doing. Rose and Gleeson were exceptional in their characterisation, bringing earnestness and energy to Lindsay and Jenny. Wykes was fantastic as Dr. Heiter, unsettling yet impressive, especially when showcasing some masterful tap skills. Nguyen brought a loveable innocence to Katsuro and relatable distress to his other child character, showcasing his range between deluded and grounded. Although, the audience should be alerted that the front row is a ‘splash zone’ for fake bodily fluids from Nguyen and to stick to the back if you’re squeamish.

If you’re left wondering how they pulled off a human centipede on-stage, credit must be awarded to costumer Jemma Crowhurst for her design. It is not incredibly graphic but it is an impressive illusion that was definitely uncomfortable at times, which was exactly the point in those moments. The illusion was unfortunately ruined by a dream sequence which allowed the actors to move freely in their pieces of the costume, making it more obvious how it was done. A costume change or blocking change would have preserved its integrity. Another detail that was missed was the lack of blood when bullets eventually fly, in such an intimate setting it is easy to see missing details such as these. Fortunately, these things did not detract much from the overall performance and the confident vocals presented.

The highlight of this performance, other than the choreography, would be the beautiful vocal arrangements. All cast members showed immense confidence and control in their songs, fantastic timing and well executed harmonies. The cast did not falter at the wide variety of song style choices, or singing in extreme accents; it was handled skillfully across the board. This absolutely made the show a toe-tapping good time with huge congratulations to the cast, musical director (Nate Stevenson) and composer (Thomas Currie). Whilst the song that carries our Detectives through the show can get a little repetitive at times, the soundtrack is one that will sneak its way onto your musical sing-a-long playlists. The production was well lit, well mixed and well managed making it easy to engage with the performance. Overall, The Human Centipede Parody Musical is a Disgusting Delight that is definitely worth checking out, and unfortunately, you won’t want to look away.

To book tickets to The Human Centipede Parody Musical, please visit https://piptheatre.org/the-human-centipede-parody-musical/.

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Consent, Connection and Queer Dating: Before We Begin

10/10/2026 Nicole Salinger🥈⚡🎭😂🎪

Before We Begin Rating

★★★★★

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Upon walking into the majestic heritage building of the Trades Hall, it feels like I am being whirled back in time, to a centuries-old educational institution. Much like a long-standing university, with soaring arches, intricate, ornate wall stencils, and wide, uneven stairs. Where I already sense the joy and delight of education within its walls, housing steeply-tiered lecture theatres, seminar rooms, and instructional spaces.

Similar to Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, I am led up to a casual, black box 70-seat lecture theatre called ‘The Quilt Room’, not knowing quite what to expect. Set up like a classroom talk, a primarily young audience mill on in. DJ music plays overhead, and a large projection screen frames the back of the stage, with the show’s moniker, ‘Before We Begin’. This is then followed by a paragraph – explaining that there will be a photographer present, and as such, we are giving consent as to whether we are comfortable with this. If we are not, we can voice this to the team after the show.

Immediately, I sense this is no ordinary show. Judging from the excitement from the audience, and a preview of a poster of a banana encased in the throws of a condom, this is no ordinary lecture either.

For this is pure interactive entertainment on a modern scale not seen yet in conventional theatres or institutions. Is it a confessional show about life experiences? Partly. Is it a show about ‘consent’ in an intimate setting? Definitely. Is it a step-by-step guide for the the world of queer online dating? Most certainly.

For in this show, we are invited by a deeply-charming host, New Zealand-born theatre-maker and master coach Hamish Annan, who turns the idea of consent on-it’s-head. He pushes the boundaries to create an interactive see-saw of participation between him and a live audience of liberal-minded individuals. In particular, on how to embody the idea of consent and sexual awareness in a sometimes, deeply-complicated, queer online dating world.

How does one begin this journey of teaching consent? Well, firstly, with a great deal of honesty. With gentleness. With sensitivity. By not only challenging us with what consent looks and sounds like; but with the likes of ‘showing’. By using the tools of interaction and participation. By getting the audience to choose to engage in formula-tic exercises – in order to open up their minds to the fact that life is about the choices we make; and that we have the right to exercise these, when it comes to our sexual wellbeing.

In so doing, Annan manages to gradually break through the third wall and engage the audience in a well-written plethora of priceless moments – from enlightening and hilarious; to spicy and risqué; but amazingly so, all within a safe environment.

But as with most shows at the Melbourne Fringe, this queer-based show is not for the faint-hearted for those who choose to participate. To be frank, this is an interactive, volunteer-based audience game-show for those who are not shy, but proud of their identity. For those who seek to learn, or who are just seeking to have some participatory fun. Always being asked the same question repeatedly throughout: How was that for you?

For Annan’s real mission? Is to teach queer dating around the element of safety. To learn one’s rights around consent, as in the past, one had to find this out the hard way. When, if one was stuck in an uncompromising position, one felt silenced, or deeply misunderstood. Where one would have to suffer under a cloud of shame.

Therefore, Annan pushes the limits in this show, not to necessarily shock the audience on purpose, but to remind them of their worth.

The show’s antics that the audience chooses to participate in are no doubt cheeky, slightly racy, and sex positive. They are mainly the truisms of the actions that define the queer dating culture. One’s chosen by Annan to entertain his audience greatly.

From a ‘touch me’ consensual coaching lesson to playing a game of Rizz to a 1-minute dominance exercise. From a darkened slow dance featuring mobile flashlights swaying, to a ‘deep throat’ condom lesson on a banana promoting safe sex.

Annan is an example of a unique presenter worth his weight in comedy gold, leaving the audience in stitches.
Yet underneath it all, he sticks to his own personal mission – of keeping the power of human connection alive. Of having the courage to tell his own personal story of overcoming sexual violation. Of being able to evoke more perspective and positivity to queer experiences of a sexual nature, for those who are still trying to navigate it themselves.

In all, this is a highly-entertaining show that is reliant on audience participation. It breaks the rules and smashes stereotypes, leaving you smiling and satisfied; from top to toe.

To book tickets to Before We Begin, please visit https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/before-we-begin.

Photographer: John Rata Photography

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