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Campfire @ Fringe World Perth

10/02/2026 Sarah Schmitt🥉

Campfire Rating

★★★★★

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Campfire is a hilarious jump-scare comedy currently showing at Fringe World Perth. With a rich mix of physical theatre, clowning, acrobatics and floor work, it’s wildly entertaining. This show will delight every member of the family, so pack your bug spray, and let’s head deep into the bush for some hilarious and playful camping chaos.

The premise is simple and instantly relatable. Best mates Louis and Griffin head out on a camping trip, armed with enthusiasm but very little practical skill. They fumble through the basics, but they’re just so excited to be spending time together that doesn’t really matter. After a series of missteps – including a highly relatable moment involving a camping tent that made my day, and a rather awkward moment running out of water – they settle in for the night, toasting marshmallows by the fire. As darkness falls, the tone subtly shifts. A curious, lonely, animalistic bush spirit begins to follow their every move. What starts as intrigue soon becomes a fight for survival, as from sunrise to sunset the friends stumble through the wilderness, their survival skills, masculinity and friendship tested at every turn as the spirit causes escalating high jinks.

Created by Melbourne/Naarm collective Split Focus, Campfire is a confident showcase of multidisciplinary performance. The storytelling is driven almost entirely through the body, with dynamic acrobatics, aerial work, tumbling, floor work and clowning woven seamlessly into the narrative. The physical skill on display is impressive, with very movement serving the story.

The music and sound design build cinematic tension, while the clever use of lighting and shadow kept the audience on its toes as they are guided through moments of joy, fear and tenderness. I really enjoyed how the performance used clowning to move the audience through this story of hilarious emotional ups and downs. Performed in the close quarters of the Gold Digger tent, the audience is close enough to the action to feel every near-miss, every moment of trust, and every comic pause. There was raucous laughter, punctuated by audible gasps and soft “awws” during the more tender moments.

At its core, Campfire is a playful and generous exploration of friendship, vulnerability and connection, and, importantly, how to perfectly toast a marshmallow. This show is very well executed storytelling. It’s funny, impressively physical, and a joyful Fringe experience. By far one of the best shows I’ve seen at Fringe, pack your bug spray and join this trio into the bush.

To book tickets to Campfire, please visit https://fringeworld.com.au/whats-on/campfire-fw2026.

Photographer: Ven Tithing

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Piper’s Playhouse

10/02/2026 Adam Miller🥉

Piper’s Playhouse Rating

★★★★★

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From the moment guests step inside Piper’s Playhouse, it is clear this is not simply a show. It is a fully realised world.

Greeted warmly by the irrepressible Jimi the Kween and the razor-sharp Valerie Hex, audiences are ushered through an immersive maze, complete with bubble artist, hilarious peep shows and confession booths. From the start, you can tell that whimsy and risqué will walk hand in hand for the evening. The space itself is a triumph of design. Deep red velvets, glowing table lamps, light haze and a central podium create a Parisian cabaret atmosphere that feels both transportive and inviting rather than themed or contrived.

A full house on the night I attended generated a buzzy energy, with a broad mix of ages (strictly over 18) proving the experience is as accessible as it is sophisticated. Gorgeous tables, attentive costumed hosts and slick service reinforce the sense that every detail has been carefully considered. Even the delivery of the first glass of champagne becomes theatre in a moment of surprise that perfectly captures the spirit of the night.

On stage, a stunning jazz band provides the heartbeat of the room. Their playing is effortlessly virtuosic, loud enough to shape the atmosphere yet perfectly balanced so conversation can flow. It is cabaret accompaniment at its finest: tight, relaxed and deeply stylish.

Valerie Hex proves a brilliant MC, working the room with effortless comedy and razor wit that never comes at the expense of the audience. Meanwhile, Jimi the Kween commands attention with a spectacular voice that moves seamlessly from power to nuance, all delivered with uproarious humour.

Headliner Diesel Darling demonstrates exactly why she sits in the Burlesque Hall of Fame. Titillating and playful, her connection with the audience is magnetic.

The supporting acts are equally compelling. Becky Bubble is captivatingly inventive, elevating the medium of bubble art into something quietly magical. Soliana Ersie leaves the crowd audibly gasping with contortion work that borders on the impossible, while hand balancer Naz Alexander delivers feats of strength with undeniable flair. Magician Sebastian Rideaux impresses both onstage and during close-up performances between sets, his charming patter guiding audiences from laughter to cheers of delight in seconds.

Importantly, the troupe feels like exactly that, a troupe. Performers weave through the audience, support one another’s moments and contribute to an atmosphere that is welcoming, inclusive and joyfully celebratory.

Add excellent food, fast and friendly table service and a late-night, post-show piano bar led by the high-energy Trevor Jones, and the result is an evening that refuses to let the party end quietly.

The attention to detail is immaculate. The care for the audience experience is unmistakable. Piper’s Playhouse is an immersive feast for the senses, a masterclass in modern cabaret and the kind of night you can’t wait to tell your friends about.

To book tickets to Piper’s Playhouse , please visit https://www.crownmelbourne.com.au/bars/pipers-playhouse.

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Homophonic!

10/02/2026 Emelia May🥉

Homophonic Rating

★★★★★

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This year, ‘Homophonic!’ celebrates their 16th annual performance at Midsumma. Directed and presented by double bass player Miranda Hill, ‘Homophonic!’ features new music by queer composers and embraces the playful, shiny disco ball side to the classical music scene. I was devastated I couldn’t make it last time, so consider this review a year in the making.

Storytelling was without a doubt the heart of ‘Homophonic!’ I noticed, as Hill reverently introduced each composer and the stories behind their work. Backed by a strings quartet, percussion and the voices of the Consort of Melbourne, the program reflected on the many diverse facets of the queer experience. Lyle Chan’s AIDS memorial quartet and Caroline Shaw’s ‘To The Hands’ were particularly memorable examples in their haunting, near-tangible beauty. At times, ‘Homophonic!’ felt more like a conversation between composer, musician and audience; a mutual understanding beyond what language alone can describe. It was visceral, and nothing short of an amazing experience.

‘Homophonic!’ played with a blend of mediums from classical to contemporary, disco, performance art and spoken word. ‘i ain’t reading all that / i’m happy for you tho / or sorry that happened‘, composed by Connor D’Netto and written by Alex Creece, was a brilliant foray into poetry: hilarious, ineffable and heartbreakingly real. The Consort of Melbourne serving as a conduit for the barrage of inner thoughts projected onto the theatre wall was genius, and as their voices overlapped in crescendos and cacophonies, I remember thinking, ‘Oh, so thiiiis is poetry. I finally get it!’. ‘All lesbians are jellicle’ is a line that will literally never leave my consciousness now.

I’m no classical aficionado by any means, so I brought a date who is, but we ended up having so much fun the technicalities I was so worried about didn’t matter. While the performers were incredibly skilled, and I could go on and on about that, it was their enjoyment of the craft that struck a chord—they were having just as much fun as us. Carving out space for experimental, passionate and proud queer art is a form of protest as much as it is play and ‘Homophonic!’ balances that responsibility with grace.

Music is inherently political. To create art on stolen land, as queer people, as activists, it’s impossible to blithely remove this context from our practices (even so-called ‘apolitical’ art is an intentional, if telling, choice). ‘Homophonic!’ celebrates the intertwinement of art and self in a new form that welcomes a wider audience through the golden gates of classical music—which, by the way, has always been queer.

To book tickets to Homophonic, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/homophonic.

Photographer: Darren Gill

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A Not-To-Be-Missed Storytelling And Music Extravaganza!

03/02/2026 Leonie Bingham🆕

Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett Rating

★★★★★

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Amplified at Belvoir St is Sheridan Harbridge’s exhilarating homage to legendary Australian rock icon and Divinyls frontwoman, Chrissy Amphlett. Written and performed by Harbridge (Prima Facie), directed by the award-winning Sarah Goodes (The Weekend) with musical direction by Glenn Moorhouse (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Amplified enters the annals of Australian music historiography.

Part biography, part autobiography, part cabaret, part live concert, part tribute, Amplified is electrifying from the moment the band takes their places and Harbridge enters from the audience wearing knee length boots, a black leather mini skirt and a black trench adorned with silver glitter. She immediately owns the stage.

The show opens with Harbridge asking the audience to tap into their own experiences of seeing school-tunic wearing Chrissy on stage. The band then comes in with ‘I’ll Make you Happy’ and the audience responds. Cheers and applause fill the theatre and the energy is palpable. It’s a terrific and uplifting rendition.

Harbridge doesn’t try to imitate the unique and sublimely defiant Chrissy Amphlett, rather she uses music and stories told by Amphlett herself, and those who knew her, to keep the memories alive and, in doing so, evokes a sense of immortality surrounding the singer.

Amplified tells of Amphlett’s childhood in Geelong and of the circumstances that moulded her into the fierce, feminist, rebellious frontwoman she became.

To those who saw Divinyls on stage in their ‘80s and ‘90s heyday, the experience was unforgettable. Amphlett was unapologetically brash, raucous, overtly sexual and subversive, upending the then Australian music industry dominance of male lead singers. Harbridge showcases Amphlett’s bold stage persona, explores her vulnerabilities, and delves into her long and complicated relationship with Mark McEntee, the band’s co-founder.

This reviewer went to many Divinyls gigs and remembers one in particular at Caringbah Inn in the early 1980s where Amphlett spat on her, which felt like a badge of honour at the time. One never knew what Chrissy might do next!

Like Chrissy, Harbridge teases the audience, but, unlike Chrissy, does so in an unthreatening manner. She takes an unwitting patron’s handbag and empties it on stage; she interacts with the audience, bringing to life the icon’s bad girl persona in all its hilarious brilliance. This is definitely not a production for children.

The stage is backlit by blue lighting with several spotlights centred on Harbridge. The floor seems to be etched in silver swirls and circles emanating around the mic stand like a galaxy of stars, which evokes, in this viewer, the chaos and frenetic energy of Amphlett standing at the centre of her universe.

The four-piece band comprises accomplished musicians Glenn Moorhouse, Ben Cripps, Dave Hatch, and Clarabell Limonta. Their polished execution of songs and divine back-up vocals elevate Harbridge’s storytelling. Harbridge’s vocal range is impressive: from the guttural to falsetto, she doesn’t miss a beat. She uses a recurring motif to tease the audience, which I won’t reveal, have them wanting more and it works to great effect. The background music to Harbridge’s narration is low-key but performative to the story. The tempo walks with each particular narrative then explodes into song.

Sheridan Harbridge is an actor and writer of extraordinary talent. Her comedic timing and ad-libbed moments are things to behold. With Goodes and Moorhouse as collaborators, she has created a wonderful production that surely tugs the nostalgic heartstrings of theatre-goers across Australia.

To book tickets to Amplified: The Exquisite Rock and Rage of Chrissy Amphlett , please visit https://belvoir.com.au/productions/amplified/.

Photographer: Brett Boardman

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