Who: Mel & Sam
What: Comedy Cabaret
When: 11 Mar – 14 Mar 7:20pm
Where: The Bally at Gluttony
How much: $30, more info here
Bringing back all the primary school drama, Mel O’Brien and Samantha Andrew evoke Year 6 realness with No Hat, No Play! The Cabaret. From the snap-on clips to the almighty Smash water bottle with the twist lid, the mems came flooding back from a simpler time.
As the duo sang about MSN crushes, show and tell, and that one horse girl in every year, it is undeniable how talented the two are, both comedically and musically. They have fantastic chemistry and looked like they were having just as much fun as the audience.
They sang about all the woes of Year 6, the authority over the sports shed, collecting lunch orders and the annoyance at that one showoff who unnecessarily read 100+ books for the Premier’s Reading Challenge (if you were this kid and you’re reading this, good on you).
I cannot stress just how fun this show is, it’s the most uproarious I’ve heard an audience so far this Fringe, with giggling constant throughout. Some audience members dressed in school uniforms to really get in the spirit, making it clear that the pair already have a budding fan base.
This performance is incredibly relatable for millennial/zillennial cuspers. I highly recommend No Hat, No Play! for anyone who went to Australian primary school during in the 00s and crave reliving this nostalgia. Why not stretch your favourite headband across your forehead, don your best pleated skort and head along?
4 and a half out of 5 stars.
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