Much like Shrek 2, Swamplesque 2 is a greener, glitzier and a glorious continuation of its predecessor, which I was lucky enough to see at last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. A chaotic, ‘ogre-the-top’ parody of draglesque excellence, this show takes us to a kingdom far, far away, full of the characters you know and love, albiet more fabulous and risque.
A conglomerate of burlesque, drag and circus, wrapped in a beautiful rhinestoned ribbon, there truly was never a dull moment. The entire cast excel in their respective skill sets, perfectly blending in bawdy humour and crowd interaction leaving everyone screaming for more. From beginning to end, the energy never dwindled and neither did the cheers from the Melbourne crowd. Every single performer was impeccable, giving it their all, and baring all on stage.
Stand out performances included Trigger Happy taking the helm as Shrek, an absolute masterclass in expressionism and crowd play. Tash York stole the show as the Fairy Godmother with her jaw-dropping live vocal cover of ‘I Need a Hero’, and with Matthew Pope as Prince Charming, performing the most enthralling trapeze act, it only makes sense that the entire cast received a standing ovation at the end of the show.
Each character is easily distinguishable by the sensational costumes. Feathers, glitter and garters galore, just like an onion, the costumes were layered and delicious! Layer by layer, discarded sometimes into the crowd, revealed even more stunning and amusing details and ASS-ets underneath. You can tell just how much the costumers enjoyed designing these, and how much fun the performers had utilising them in various creative and sometimes phallic ways on stage.
Dale Woodbridge Brown as Puss-In-Boots and Memphis Mae as King Harold had some very comical costume usage that had the crowd gasping and cackling throughout. The fairy godmother’s iconic bedazzled red dress was also present in picture perfect recreation.
The lighting had just as much impact as the costumes, assisting with the seamless movement of the story. The scene transitions were creative and captivating. The on-stage transformation scene from Shrek to ‘Prince’ Shrek was particularly impressive, cleverly utilising the stage lighting to assist.
Swamplesque 2 is a raunchy riot from start to finish. The story may take you to a place far, far away, but thankfully you don’t have to travel far at all to see the queer, phat extravaganza.
Returning for their sequel for 3 nights only, you can catch Swamplesque 2 until April 11th (one show left) at the Melbourne Town Hall, Main Hall as part of the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/swamplesque-2
https://www.swamplesque.com
https://www.instagram.com/swamplesque
Photography supplied.