After the first week of the 2025 Sydney Fringe, here are our thoughts on some of the festival’s offerings.
A Succulent Chinese Musical?!: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
This is musical manifest.
A parody of the life of Jack Karlson, a serial prison escapee best known for the 1991 “succulent Chinese meal” news segment, this show is seriously impressive. Written by Rick Butler and Kate Stewart (also director), the performance creates a story for Jack that is funny and interesting. Despite his criminal behaviour, the show paints him as a well-meaning Aussie battler, pursued by crooked cops, who just wants to enjoy some delectable Asian cuisine.
The music (courtesy Butler and Stewart) is vibrant and catchy. Particular highlights are Democracy Manifest, What is the Charge?, and A Succulent Chinese Meal. The lyrics are laugh-out-loud and surprisingly clever. It’s clear a lot of thought has gone in to them. Though the choreography does not quite keep pace, the audience is too busy laughing to notice.
Butler is charming as Karlson, embodying the Aussie larrikin. But it’s the supporting cast who steal the show. Melissa Glinn brings surprising depth to the role of Constable JJ, the officer pursuing Karlson but eventually caught between her job and her morals. Max Newstead as convict Jim McNeil is fantastically over-the-top. Victoria Luxton as Jack’s wife Eve makes the most of her numerous Chinese food-themed puns. But it’s Tisha R. Kelemen as “Everyone Else” who really shines. Whether she’s playing a judge, an Irish judo coach, a real estate agent, or a Chinese restaurant waitress, she brings a dynamic and unexpected energy to each role. It’s exciting to see who or what she transforms in to throughout the show.
Ultimately, A Succulent Chinese Meal is delightfully absurd. It creates a story for Jack Karlson he would be proud of. It makes one hungry for Chinese, and for justice.
Elixir Revived: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Elixir Revived is full of great energy and humour. It’s the headline show at The Vault in Moore Park – a purpose-built tent with pumping beats and dynamic lighting. Performed by Head First Acrobats, the vibe here is a group of scientists who ingest various “elixirs” which allow them to execute various circus acts. Those acts include Liam Dummer performing mesmerising aerial sequences, Thomas Gorham spinning on his head, Anthony Saltalamacchia throwing knives, and Callan Harris driving the performance forward. Here, the storyline very much plays second fiddle to the physical theatre on display.
The quartet are charming, hilarious, and sensual. Their acrobatic work is full of flair and vibrancy. Under pulsating music similar to a nightclub, they set up a fun and flirty mood and play off the audience’s heckles. Recording the performance is encouraged and rightly so – it is one that demands attention and is visually stunning.
This visual strength makes narrative moments feel like placeholders between the movement (which to some extent they are). This is the show’s only drawback: the choreography is so good, one finds themselves sitting through those moments in keen anticipation of what’s to come. But, Elixir Revived is still a great show. It’s the best fun you can have at the Entertainment Quarter.
Yuki Nivez: Active B*tch Face: ⭐⭐.5
Japanese comedian Yuki Nivez returns to Australia with Active B*tch Face. A 40-minute set of deadpan delivery, musings on feminism and toxic masculinity, and the cultural differences between Australian and Japanese culture, it misses more often than it lands.
Playing at the Newtown Hotel, Nivez’s set relies largely on punchlines. Some of these are funny, but most of her topics and perspectives are fairly typical. This is a shame; she could offer something more unique, given her experiences in Japan and Australia. Her delivery comes off as static more so than deadpan, making her appear nervous rather than indifferent. That vibe comes across in her rapport with the crowd: she’s not entirely engaging throughout the 40-minute period.
Yet, her performance has some spark. Bits about her Japanese father, his use of social media and cultural clash with Australia are good. They are not delivered as punchlines, but rather as stories Nivez tells. She could have leaned in to these stories more, where it feels like there is more humour.
Ultimately, Nivez struggles to sustain audience engagement when she delivers her jokes. She either needs to arrive at a punchline quicker, make the most of her middle-person position between different cultures, or flesh out her content and tell more stories. The potential is there; it just needs to be actioned.
