Adelaide Fringe Festival Tour Diary: “And So It Begins.”

Updated: Jun 27, 2023

Kids on a plane! AAAAGGGHHHH!

If you’re one of these folks with an appetite for sympathetic glances from strangers, then might I introduce you to the wonders of travelling as a solo parent with a small child? Well, I chose to interpret them as ‘sympathetic glances’ rather than ‘snarls of disapproval’; indeed, as Mister Three was throwing a mighty fit, kicking his shoes off while I struggled to wrangle a mildly ridiculous array of luggage and his pram in the sizeable taxi queue, I believe I actually uttered the words: “Well, Adelaide, this should all be smooth sailing from here!”

After getting the brood settled at our fab homely digs (bit out of the city, but it’s a damn perfect set-up for us, so so happy!) with my lovely au-pair Keli (first time I have ever enjoyed the wonders of an au-pair, she is freaking FABULOUS, so much so that I may never let her go!) I set off into the city for an interview with a student newspaper. I have no idea what I said, only that it was long-winded and a little “off on tangents” oriented, such was my mini-jet lag at having risen at 4am – martyrdom again, HELLO! – to catch that damn jet plane.

Passed by the Fringe Caravan in the Mall, where I'll be performing a number of times throughout the festival. I'm a little nervous, as I've never done street performing, but I have done my fair share of dodgy pubs, so it can't really be that much harder, can it?!

Then it was off to Titters for a truly rocking start to my Fringe ride, for a number of reasons:

– reuniting with some of my favourite people whom I met at my brief stint at last year’s Titters! Seriously love these ladies so much. Francesca Martinez, Jen Brister, Jodie Hill, Bev Killick… it was like the world’s smallest and bestest school reunion!

With new Titters friends backstage! L-R Patsy Decline, Anya Anastasia and moi.

– having the pleasure of being introduced to a local vocal quartet Hot Tutti, an incredible group of women whose stuff was SERIOUSLY amazing, with lyrics like “don’t diss my ability” and a heart-wrenching song about rising above the voices of the schoolyard taunts. I’m definitely gonna be checking out their fringe show. So good!

– making the call to abandon my “safe, known” stuff onstage and just make up a song instead. I was so happy I did this at Woodford, yet for some reason (possibly from the overwhelm of how many gigs I have lined up in this marathon month!) I had decided to go back to my old “material that I know works” thing. Then I thought, “what the heck am I doing? This is FRINGE!!!!!! I should be throwing myself on the creative coals!” and so wound up making up a song about a lovely couple called Bob, who works in the mining industry, and Fran, who is a career coach. What ensued was a small and soothing ditty with lyrics such as:

“Oh my darling Bob, Come over here, Even if I can’t give you love, I can help with your career.”

“Oh my Fran, I’ll woo you with fine dining, And then you can chat about my career, Which, by the way, is mining…”

Oh, the layers of meaning…

Anyway, this has also inspired me to try to remember some of the songs I make up onstage throughout this fest by way of blogging a little bit about them, namely because most of the time I just make these things up and POOF, they’re gone.

I should mention at this point that today, Opening Night of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, was, 33 years ago, an Opening Night of another kind… my appearance into this fair world.

Happy birthday to moi!

We’ve been so busy – and cash-strapped – with the preps, that we had really agreed upon a pretty low-key thing this year; the real present is just being able to come and be part of this mad roller coaster experience anyway.

But then, the night before I set off, my darling hubby and the kids said to me “Mum! Close your eyes and then come into the bathroom!” Never one to shy away from a bizarre and highly impractical command, I did so, and was greeted with this: