The Perth Town Hall has been transformed into Fantasia, a new hub for Fringe World 2024 and inside there’s a wide range of shows featuring everything from drag stars to quaint ukelele strumming singers, a musical about netball, twerking dance troupes, hypnotists and magicians.
Fringe World 2024 begins tonight and runs for the next 31 days filling the city with a wide range of cabaret, comedy, drama and drag. The hub has been curated by The Hairy Godmothers, the team behind the hilarious Dizney in Drag show.
OUTinPerth got a sneak peek at some of the acts that will be making Fantasia their home for the next few weeks, among them the delightful Ukelele Man which tells the story of George Formby, the Northern English wartime entertainer and ukulele legend.
With a toothy grin and a kindly turnip face, he sang cheeky songs and won the love of the nation. From the youngest ever jockey to England’s highest paid entertainer, and from a troubled marriage to a premature death, George Formby touched the hearts of millions… and when he died, more than 150,000 people lined the route of his funeral procession.
Performer Marcel Cole began his career as a dancer but went on to study mime and clowning. This acclaimed show comes to Perth following an award-winning season at the Sydney Fringe Festival.
Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody is a fantasy-driven, tongue-in-cheek comedy show that warps the classic ‘Hero’s Journey’ into a modern fairy-tale of self-discovery.
A wide-eyed and inexperienced protagonist sets out on a quest to find their ‘one true love’. Encountering some of your all-time fairytale favourites (…like never seen before) along the way, they teach the young hero precious gems of present-day wisdom.
The show promises to cover hard-hitting, hilarious, and positive lessons on love, respect, self-discovery, healthy masculinity, periods, and sex positivity with a healthy dose of nostalgia and a side-serving of the ‘feel-goods’.
At the preview we heard from a mermaid who sang about all the odd things she’s collected from humans and keeps in her chest. It led to the host, hypnotist Matt Hale, looking slightly perturbed.
The world of netball is presented as a musical in Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence.
Here’s how the show is described, in a thrilling Shakespearean twist on the netball court, Mac Beth passionately pursues the coveted title of Year 12 Netball Captain of the Dunsinane Hell-Hounds. Expect a gripping tale of ambition, betrayal, and redemption as Coach Duncan’s decisions spark a fierce battle for leadership.
At the preview on Wednesday night, it was almost impossible to hear the voices of these performers, let’s hope they get the balance between vocals and backing music sorted before their opening.
The Hairy Godmothers will be presenting their show Wet, an adult cabaret that promises to include hilarious comedy skits, emotive dances, unique and personal poems, a lecture on quantum physics.
Reviewer Joshia Haines caught their previous production Pussy in 2022 and gave it five stars, so they’re high expectations for their new production.
Check out all the shows at Fringe World.
