Fringe Review: A Stan Is Born!
With gorgeous hair and a likeable air, there’s a punch-the-sky jubilation in this bildungsroman from stan to superstar. ★★★★
Alexis Sakellaris has a PHDiva in the art of stanning (for the uninitiated, that’s being an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity). Or, in Sakellaris’ words, “most of us are gay or alone, and we all have a woman we stan”. This Australian premiere is a trip through a continent-hopping childhood, where a lonely wee boy discovers his inner diva through the unlikely auspices of the pre-teen all-white German gospel choir.
There’s lots to love about Sakellaris, and that’s before we even think about his really excellent hair (seriously, where’s the Garnier deal?). The show is interwoven with anecdote, light crowd-work and cracking original music with witty lyrics that aren’t afraid to lean into a hard rhyme (“Will my problems go away/if I act like Beyoncé”). Sakellaris also does well to build an air of intimacy, given the competition from some outrageous noise-bleed from the venue next door. Still, that’s all part of Fringe and well-handled as we’re encouraged to go shake our asses there later.
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That’s the key to Sakellaris’ performance: he’s just so nice, one of those performers you can’t help rooting for. When he talks about finding his real-life divas (rather than stanning the Celines and Mariahs of his head), you want to punch the air and cheer on his happiness. That’s not to say this show is perfect; perhaps it’s trying to pack too much in, perhaps it’s because the audience is wants that full-blown Whitney moment rather than teasing us with tiny riffs. But this is a promising debut from a performer who has everything needed to go the distance. Get in now and help send him on his way.
A Stan Is Born! is playing at Spiegel Zelt at the Garden of Unearthly Delights from February 15 – March 22
