Time Out’s reviews from the 2024 Sydney Fringe Festival

Tristan Haze’s Absolute Drip Drop is an absolute hoot. Directed by Belinda Anderson-Hunt (also a comedian, clown and improviser), it’s described as an absurdist stand-up show in 12 parts. With deadpan delivery, a seemingly unrelated slideshow, costume changes, and jokes that build and build until you just can’t breathe, this show is much more than the sum of its parts. If you like Nathan Fielder, Reuben Solo, or being treated like a bit of a dummy, you’ll love this. While you kick yourself for missing Tristan’s very short Sydney Fringe run, you can read his book Meaning and Metaphysical Necessity in paperback with Routledge (Google it, I’m not joking). Find all this and more on Instagram @tristanhazeart.

Macbeth takes to the high school netball court in this fabulously clever adaptation that features electro-pop ballads, some singing “Dagger Divas” in place of witches, and just the right amount of hot pink. There's excellent choreography worthy of a pop concert by performer Shannon Rogers; hilarious lyrics by director/composer Bec Price (aka Project BEXX), writer Courtney McManus and performer Ana Ferreira Mahoso; and synth-heavy tracks that make Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence nothing short of a banger (with a whole lot of heart, to boot).

Set and costumes are as bright and fun as the performers, featuring black and pink netball dresses and sneakers galore. If you loved Fangirls, and your netball position is your personality, you’ll adore this. Their Sydney Fringe season is almost completely sold out, but you can catch them at Melbourne Fringe in October. If you don’t have what it takes to steal somebody else’s seat, follow Crash Theatre Co on Instagram, and find the cast album on Spotify.

Rachel Colquhoun-Fairweather (Not Now Not Ever, Labyrinth, UBU: A Cautionary Tale of Catastrophe) and Will Bartolo (Lewis Treston’s IRL) are clowns who have won awards. Their fringe show, Masterpiece, is 45 minutes of lovingly crafted buffoonery. It’s accompanied by stony-faced musician James Tarbotton on the keyboard and violin, and features lots of excellent prop gags. Don’t miss these Inner Westie art hanging clowns wearing work shorts and odd socks getting it very wrong, perfectly. Find them on Instagram @raeandwill.

Sh!tshow is exactly what it says on the tin - an indie rock musical about poo. With book, lyrics and music by Krishna Patel and starring a cast and three-piece band from Townsville, this is quintessential rough and ready fringe. A set pieced together with tape of three porcelain thrones covered in graffiti, and various costume pieces also covered in graffiti, make up the show's tight visual aesthetic. Somewhat unbalanced sound and some misplaced sketches that don’t always land are forgivable for clever musical storytelling. Go for the fart jokes, stay for the belters and the sapphic romance. Find the artists on Instagram @diversion.creative.

Kath and Kim meets Wayne’s World in this ridiculous farce set around dinnertime in a falling-down apartment in a housing commission. Two twins (Opera Darling and Harba Darling, played respectively by writer and co-director Kirsty Saville, and Savannah Melvin) have been separated at birth and finally reunited. Shenanigans, involving their money hungry mother and something much like A Current Affair, ensue. It’s got hilarious surprise musical numbers, puns, misheard instructions, and even a giant lobster. A little rough around the edges, but nevertheless an enjoyable and very funny ride. Find them on Instagram @trulygonefishingtheplay.

Writer, director and Ringmaster (among other things) Beatrice McBride’s Freakshow is a line-up of sideshow freaks with a twist, including a bearded lady with 200,000 followers on Instagram and a “savage” reciting Shakespeare. It features eerie, warped sound design and some well-designed costumes. It reaches towards that notoriously difficult notion of absurdity and dark comedy, but often falls flat without the restraint needed to communicate its message. Unfortunately, Freakshow doesn't have enough of that essential unifying thread and precision needed to stick the twisted landing.