Skinny - Fringe World 2026

Reviewed by Jordan D'Arcy

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Skinny puts a uniquely Australian twang on a story that unfortunatly, is not all that unique. Michelle Pearson is a performer from Adelaide, and began to write this show from her hospital bed after another surgery to fix different botched fixes from a procedure she undertook in her early twenties with the purpose of getting skinnier. This show boasts coming directly from a well-received off-Broadway debut, to make its Fringe World debut.

Skinny is a very classic simple cabaret set up – perfect for the many Fringe Festivals around the world it has been performed at. It’s always a little extra treat when a show decides to have their wonderful band fully visible, and even playing small extra character roles to supplement Michelle’s story. I particularly enjoyed the skinny jeans facts sidebar from keys. The band was cohesive and complemented Michelle’s insane vocals perfectly.

There were a few opening night tech issues, but nothing the performers and operators weren’t able to power through.

Without telling too much of Michelle’s story myself, there were many moments where I could relate, having had similar, if not identical, experiences growing up and simply existing in a world where “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. One such moment is the experience of walking into a retail store and being looked up and down after asking for any additional sizes, only to be told that “the absolute largest we stock is a 12”. I know that this is not a unique experience to myself and Michelle.

The language of the diet heroin chic culture in Australia in the early 2000s to 2010s was woven into each story in such a way that it was obvious the show believed that sort of language was ridiculous, but was still so real in the way subtle comments were brought into every conversation they weren’t needed. It was really cleverly done.

The use of video interviews to questions was beautifully done – clips of people answering questions like “how much money have you spent trying to change your body?” were used to illustrate that so many people from so many different places and backgrounds have such real experiences trying to fit into categories and societal structures that we as a society have made up ourselves.

I liked that Skinny didn’t try to fix anything. Sure, there was commentary on why we feel the way we do about our bodies, why the world generally has such an aversion to fat people and how that affects the way we go through the world. But in the end, this show is really an exercise in sharing and relating, knowing that your weight doesn’t define you as a person or even your health, and that so many other people feel the same way. As Michelle put it, just because you are different, does not mean you are less.

The remainder of the Skinny run is 29 January to 1 February at the Liberty Theatre, with a show at Bunbury Fringe Festival on 25 January.

Image credit: Claudio Raschella

Reviewer Note: Tickets for this review were provided by the production company.