Theatre

FURNITURE BOYS

In this absurdist comedy from writer-performer Emily Weitzman, boyfriends are armchairs, lampshades and futons. Hailed as 'hilarious', 'weirdly poignant' and 'loopily, luminously charming' (BuzzPei.com), Furniture Boys explores how furniture endures, but boyfriends – not so much. Blending theatre, comedy, clown, spoken word and furniture showroom, this one-woman show has been called 'imaginative, thoughtful, playful, hilarious and relentlessly, infectiously joyous' (BuzzPei.com). Winner of Theatre’s Choice at Off-Broadway’s SoHo Playhouse in NYC, the Fringiest Show Award at the 2025 Orlando Fringe FestN4, and the 2024 Jilline Ringle Solo Performance Award. 'Furniture,' writes one reviewer, 'has never been more moving'.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 12:45 pm

Underbelly George Square

Two white eighteen year old Boys are mid Rugby Scrum. They are both looking forward wearing matching white and red rugby kits. The boy on the left is wearing a black scrum cap and looks nervous, the boy on the right has blonde hair and looks prepared.

Theatre

An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo

Bobby Award-winning comedy following Johnny, an 18-year-old at an all-boys boarding school. He ambles through daily life, Britney in his ears, failing to fit into the school's (rather rigid) mould. Enter Harry, the rugby golden boy. To save time, Johnny and Harry shag. Constantly. This isn't a coming out story or a gay tragedy and it is definitely not porn. It is life through the lens of a young queer man, navigating Grindr, hyper-masculinity and an institution rife with shame.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 12:50 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

Dazed and confused Stage photo/Photographer: Wong de. A man staring at a variety of playing cards floating through the air.

Theatre

Taiwan Season: Dazed and Confused

Magic seamlessly meets theatre in Lin Lu-Chieh's engaging autobiographical solo show. Confident and captivating, this young, self-taught master of prestidigitation offers up a true and touching coming-of-age story that couples delightful 'How did he do that?' sleight-of-hand with warm-hearted observations on the sometimes painful yet often humorous process of growing up. His sincerity and skill shine through. Gently laced with audience participation, this entertaining and universally relatable performance is about finding yourself by doing what you love.  Dazed and Confused tells the story of a child growing up in rural Taiwan, discovering their unique talents amidst the trials of life. While it may appear to reflect a typical Asian childhood, the journey unfolds with youthful confusion, experimentation, pain, and failure. These raw experiences resonate unexpectedly with anyone who has ever navigated the path to adulthood. See it and understand just how wondrous and transformative magic can be. European premiere.  Creator/ Performer|Lin Lu Chieh Director|Lee Cheng Chun  Executive Producer|Chang Huei Ting English Marketing Manager |Huang Yu Ting Lighting Designer|Chen Chung Wen Stage Technician|Chen Xian Da, Lee Cheng Jui

30 July - 25 August 2025, 12:55 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

At the centre of the image is an illustrated egg being fried in a black and orange pan, against a light blue watercolour painted background. Coming in from the top left corner is a black and white photo of a hand holding half a cracked egg, and another c

Theatre

Eggs Aren't That Easy to Make

'If I'm in a lesbian relationship when I'm older, I want you to be the sperm donor' a woman says to her best friend, while drunk at a birthday party in uni. 'Okay, it's a deal', he says. Flash forward ten years and the two friends are making good on their promise. She is in said relationship, and he's just got a girlfriend. Having your best friend be your sperm donor – what could go wrong? A queer rom-com about having a baby in the modern world.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 1:00 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

An image of the back of a man wearing a bucket hat and holding his arms up in the air. He is wearing england pants that are straddled at his lower thigh and there is a red flare stuck in his arse.

Theatre

Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England

Back for a third and final year after sell-out runs and international acclaim, the multi award-winning bum flare play tells the story of ardent football fan Billy Kinley, who sticks a flare up his bum at Euro 2020 and goes viral. What follows is a funny, raw and honest look at identity, loyalty and belonging. Winner of Best Theatre Show at Adelaide Fringe 2025, this show has been a hit worldwide. Bold, sharp and unforgettable. Final Edinburgh Fringe run. One flare. One man. One bum... One story. Don't miss it!

30 July - 25 August 2025, 2:15 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

A young woman sitting looking into the distance with warm light falling onto her face., against a dark background.

Theatre

I Dream in Colour

Sophie has a choice: surgically remove her one remaining eye containing a tumour, or risk eye cancer. Again. No brainer, right? But her parents have done everything to save this one eye in the hope she might see again. Can she do what she wants this time? ‘I Dream In Colour’ is a semi-autobiographical one-woman show from Jasmine Thien; a fully blind writer, poet and comedian. It explores how we experience the intersections between disability, race, gender when we straddle the margins of multiple minority groups. Weaving storytelling, comedy and spoken word, it seeks to ask the question: how do we navigate a world that reminds us every day we should not even exist? Shortlisted for the Charlie Hartill Award 2025. Written & Performed by Jasmine Thien Directed by Max Percy (Baklâ) Produced by The Project People

30 July - 24 August 2025, 2:20 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

A drawing of a young Cecilia Gentili in an extravagant bejeweled outfit with a huge heart-inspired pendant and headpiece adorned with cutlery.

Theatre

Cecilia Gentili's Red Ink

God won't give up on Cecilia Gentili. Unfortunately, neither will the devil. Follow a young trans girl as she navigates the hilarity of rural Argentina during the 1900s. Part stand-up, part camp and (almost) all true, Red Ink is an irreverent romp in searching for faith while trans. Presented by Elliot Page and PAGEBOY Productions, Sara Ramirez, Breaking the Binary Theatre, Queer Arts Coalition and Nic Cory, Red Ink is the late writer, activist and icon Cecilia Gentili's autobiographical work. The play's off-Broadway 2024 premiere received a Special Recognition GLAAD Media Award.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 2:30 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

Sutton is hiding under a pearl encrusted veil. Matching pearl earrings dangle from her ears. She is looking straight down the barrel at you. She has green eyes. She looks guarded and concerned, with her lips slightly parted, ready to say something.

Theatre

ALTAR

Today is Sutton's wedding day. Dana has been invited, but Dan will be in attendance. Dan who was once Dana. Beloved by audiences and critics alike, ALTAR is a tender and fervent exploration of growing up and into queerness, or away from it. Em Tambree's striking debut has been described by critics as 'a rallying cry' (RyanHamilton.work), and 'a play that necessitates the existence of theatre itself' (PraiseDionysus, podcast). The sold-out Australian premiere was featured for Best Theatre of 2024 (Keith Gow) and 2024 Playwright to Watch (Guy Webster). ALTAR was commissioned by Midsumma Festival and developed with the generous support of Abbotsford Convent. Say "I do" & RSVP to ALTAR's international premiere this summer at Underbelly.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 2:50 pm

Underbelly George Square

A bright orange image with a group of actors looking like things are going wrong. Scripts are flying through the air. A quote from reviewer 'Lost In Theatreland' saying

Theatre

...Earnest?

Fans of The Play That Goes Wrong and Noises Off will love this.  Returning to the Fringe for the FIFTH time due to phenomenal demand, this Oscar Wilde twist is guaranteed to have you in stitches.  When a traditional production of Oscar Wilde's classic play gets underway, everything seems to be going perfectly to plan... that is, until the lead actor fails to arrive on cue.

30 July - 25 August 2025, 3:20 pm

Underbelly George Square

A metallic star on a black background with one smaller metallic star above it to its right.

Theatre

This Blighted Star

During a long summer in a stifling Midlands town, local student Ivan goes missing. Questions and anxieties build, but Ivan's friend – a CCTV operator – is convinced he'll find him. Meanwhile, a skilfully crafted conspiracy surrounding the disappearance proliferates on the web. Hanging over the town is a new star, burning brighter than the rest... bringing with it a haunting sense of unease and uncertainty. Through fragmented footage and reflections on a lost friendship, our surveillance operator is forced to peer into dark places to uncover the truth about what happened to his friend.

30 July - 24 August 2025, 3:45 pm

Underbelly George Square

Two women, colourfully dressed, laugh at a shared joke

Theatre

Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not To Come

In this fierce, funny and frank show, they explore messy realities, fantasies, sexpectations and navigating life and relationships as British Asian women. Their award-winning, groundbreaking BBC Sounds podcast Brown Girls Do It Too, now in its sixth series, has amassed fans who love their honesty and openness, and faced backlash for breaking the silence on sex in Asian communities. With songs, sketches and some graphic content, this is a celebration of brown British women and genital warts.

30 July - 24 August 2025, 4:10 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

Laura Benanti

Theatre

Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares

Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares is a one-woman comedy show from the mind of Tony Award winner Laura Benanti. With her razor-sharp wit, the star of stage and screen blends side-splitting storytelling with original songs co-written with Todd Almond. The New York Times Critic's Pick Nobody Cares is a hilarious, heartfelt and sometimes brutally honest tribute to recovering ingenues, mothers, and anybody working on themselves. 

30 July - 24 August 2025, 4:55 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

Tegan Verheul's face against a grey background. She has curly blonde hair and a bloody nose.

Theatre

Chokeslam

A knockout solo show about one woman's love of pro wrestling. Part confessional, part exuberant oral history of sports entertainment's greatest matches and most loved characters. Acclaimed comedian Tegan Verheul leaves no Stone (Cold) unturned in her unflinchingly raw autobiographical debut that grapples with heartbreak, friendship and the healing power of bloodsport. Riotously funny, unexpectedly touching, brilliantly human. You will leave a wrestling fan. 

30 July - 25 August 2025, 8:45 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square

An image of David and Katie. Katie is lying on the floor and David is standing over her in a squatted position.

Theatre

David and Katie Get Re-Married

You’re cordially invited to the second wedding of David and Katie: confidently codependent, deliriously devoted to a dangerous degree and fully qualified to flaunt a flawless approach to marriage; with music, exotic rituals and, a unity volcano. Bear witness as the world’s worst couple celebrates the (second) happiest day of their lives. Starring David Carl (Trump Lear, The Tender Bar) and Katie Hartman (Netflix’s The Week Of, The Other Two), David and Katie Get Re-Married is a glorious celebration of love, dysfunction and doing it all over again. This time it’s forever. For realz! Probably?!?

30 July - 24 August 2025, 9:50 pm

Underbelly Bristo Square