McLeod’s Daughters Jonny Pasvolsky brings “The CAN Principle” to Adelaide Fringe
“The unbelievable origin story of a fake guru.”
Screen and stage actor Jonny Pasvolsky will make his Adelaide Fringe debut in 2026 with The CAN Principle, a sharp one-man comedy about the fake-guru economy. Playing five shows at the iconic Ballroom at Ayers House from 11-14 March, it’s a limited run for anyone who likes their comedy smart, biting, and uncomfortably familiar.
Best known to Australian audiences as Rob Shelton (aka Matt Bosnich) on McLeod’s Daughters and internationally for his work on HBO’s Westworld and Mortdecai opposite Johnny Depp, Jonny Pasvolsky brings serious screen pedigree to the Fringe stage.
While living in America, Jonny became a Stand-up comic and is combining all the elements of story, style, character and stand-up, along with his extensive experience and talent to create The CAN Principle, his first stint into creating his own new work.
Written and performed by Pasvolsky, The CAN Principle introduces Merv, a self-appointed life philosopher with a product he insists will change everything: sunshine in a can. He’s almost certain he can deliver the sun itself, one can at a time. Almost.
“Mervin Gimplik is the guru you didn’t know you weren’t looking for!”
The idea sparked during a visit to Surfer’s Paradise, when a 5-year old Pasvolsky spotted a can of “Genuine Australian Sunshine” in a souvenir shop and felt genuinely disappointed when he cracked it open. The CAN Principle flips that let-down into a premise: what if someone tried to sell sunshine in a can with all of the ambition and none of the skills.
The result is a sharp parody of the self-improvement economy. Life coaches, miracle cures, and self-help grifters that thrive on people having a rough week and a credit card. If you’ve ever been promised a total reinvention in six easy steps (plus a paid upgrade), this show is for you.
“Everything in this show is based on real-life experiences and stories,” Pasvolsky says. “I’ve seen so many self-appointed ‘experts’ spruiking made-up ‘pathways to enlightenment’ and they’re never shy about taking your money for it.”
Beneath the satire is something more personal. Pasvolsky drew on his childhood experience migrating to Australia from South Africa. Learning the unspoken rules at speed and trying to fit in without a manual. “Watching my parents and their friends interact with ‘typical’ Aussies was endlessly funny and embarrassing to me.” Those early misunderstandings become the show’s heartbeat and humour. Like how a
worry about sunburn once led to a date with a quick detour to the police station in between.
Pasvolsky remembers his concerned uncle trying to wake a woman who’d fallen asleep on the beach, honestly thinking she’d passed out, only for lifeguards to jump in when she woke up startled and assumed the worst. She later cleared up the misunderstanding, bailed him out, and somehow asked him on a date.
Merv is a dreamer with good intentions and terrible execution. The show invites audiences to laugh, cringe, and consider how easily hope gets packaged, priced, and sold back to us with a motivational slogan on top.
More information:
Ticket prices: $28 – $35
Runtime: 55 min
Location: The Ballroom at Ayers House, 288 North Tce Adelaide 5000 SA
Content Rating: M suitable for audiences 15+
Showtimes:
Wed 11 Mar: 9:00pm, 10:30pm
Thu 12 Mar: 10:30pm
Fri 13 Mar: 2:00pm
Sat 14 Mar: 10:45pm
About Jonny Pasvolsky
South African born, Australian actor, Jonny Pasvolsky is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and has worked extensively in film, television and theatre in Australia and overseas.
Jonny has starred in numerous feature films working with industry best in both America and Australia, including working alongside Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow. He has had an extensive television and theatre career working in shows such as HBO’s Westworld, NCIS Sydney, The Moodys, Offspring, Underbelly 2, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and was nominated for a TV Logie Award for ‘Most Popular New Male Talent’ for McLeod’s Daughters. He has worked with leading theatre companies including Sydney Theatre Company, Ensemble Theatre, Perth Theatre Co. and Griffin Theatre.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665188/
