There will be a strong temptation for Tom Oliver to jump up on stage at this year’s Wynnum Fringe headline show, Highway to Hell: The Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus.
He’s a talented performer who can really belt out a tune and this show will have some of everyone’s favourites. It’ll be on in the Augathella Spiegeltent at Wynnum Fringe from June 25 – and it’s a great way to get this three-week party started.
“It’s a big one,” admits Oliver, festival founder, CEO and artistic director all rolled into one. And he says he “never planned for it to be this big”. “I didn’t really think there would be a seventh annual Wynnum Fringe.”
But there is. He’s had to put his career on hold for a few months each year to run this festival, which is thriving at a time when some festivals and shows are closing down. Highway to Hell is the sort of show Oliver loves and he may end up on stage, you never know. Certainly, when it tours – and he intends to tour it – there might be a role for him. I mean it’s his show.
What’s it about? Well, as the festival website says: “Before the internet. Before mobile phones. Just a band, a bar and a room full of people ready to Let Their Hair Hang Down. Welcome to your favourite Aussie pub in 1983. Where the greatest music of all time was born. Where strangers became mates. Where the music was loud, the nights were young, and Dirty Deeds (were) Done Dirt Cheap.”
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Highway To Hell: The Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus is a full-throttle live music spectacular starring powerhouse performers Wes Carr and Mahalia Barnes, backed by an all-star band featuring Matty Smith (Thirsty Merc), Ben Rodgers (Jimmy Barnes Band), Mick Skelton (Thirsty Merc) and Andrea Krakovska (Pseudo Echo).
Produced by Tom Oliver, it will also feature performances from world-class circus artists Katrina Louise (Vice The Show) and Melon The Human (Cirque du Soleil). Expect aerial guitar, fire, hair-hang and jaw-dropping physical performance woven through a soundtrack featuring Australian rock anthems from AC/DC, Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Divinyls, INXS, The Angels and Stevie Wright.
“It will start the festival,” Oliver says. “And 1983 was a very good year for Aussie rock, so we’ve set the music then.”
The Wynnum Fringe happens in the 350-seat Augathella Spiegeltent and the nearby Lunchbox Theatre, which seats 90.
“This year’s program is packed with everything from major touring artists to emerging independent work and that mix is what keeps it so alive,” Oliver says. “You can see a headline show and then stumble across something completely unexpected along the way.”
This year’s program features a line-up of top-tier comedy and music including Arj Barker, Luke McGregor, Mel Buttle, Matt Okine, Bradley McCaw’s The Music of Billy Joel and the Wynnum Fringe Comedy Gala.
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A major highlight of the program is In Pour Taste, a one-of-a-kind comedy and wine experience created in partnership with Innocent Bystander and award-winning comedians Ethan Cavanagh and Sweeney Preston, fresh from a residency in Las Vegas. Blending sharp comedy with curated wine tasting, the immersive show invites audiences to sip, laugh and be part of the experience in an intimate, high-energy setting.
The festival’s most ambitious new production, Highway to Hell: The Rock ’N’ Roll Circus, will premiere in a strictly limited run of five performances. Headliner Mahalia Barnes says Wynnum Fringe stands out for its personality, energy and unmistakably local feel.
“Wynnum Fringe is one of those festivals that I’ve heard so many people talk about, but I’ve never experienced it firsthand,” she says. “The shows have lots of personality. It feels to me like a festival with real heart and a raw, cheeky energy. I love when a festival has that kind of spirit. It gives the audience and the artists a chance to share something really unique, special and unforgettable. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Festival favourites and family-friendly shows return, with Dangerous Goods, Elixir Revived, Adults Only Magic Show, Party Animals, The Greatest Magic Show, Circus The Show, All Star Circus, A Night at the Musicals and The Rockin’ 70s Singalong all part of a program designed to appeal to audiences of all ages.
The Lunchbox Theatre is a new home for intimate, independent and delightfully offbeat works, including Wynnum Watch, a comedy show inspired by the wonderfully chaotic world of local community Facebook pages, where comedians Emma Zammit and Kat Davidson unpack everything from mysterious helicopters to missing dogs and neighbourhood drama.
A major new addition to the program is the debut of the Brisbane Clown Festival, with Andrew Cory curating a three-day line-up of local and interstate artists across the final weekend, giving the new festival a platform to launch in Brisbane for the first time.
Audiences can also expect school holiday workshops from Art for Earthlings, as well as a Rooftop Container Bar, food trucks and a pop-up wine experience – all designed to create a vibrant, social festival hub along the waterfront.
Wynnum Fringe runs from June 25 to July 12.
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