Review by Markus Hamence – Alexis Sakellaris: A Stan Is Born! – Performance date: Wednesday 18 March 2026. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide, South Australia.
Born in New York City, Alexis is forced to follow his family to… rural Germany. UGH. Trapped in a conservative culture clash, discovering pop divas online is his only salvation: Céline, Whitney, Mariah, Beyoncé, Aretha… you name ’em, he got ’em. With 10 original songs, sung and played live on keyboard, Alexis vigorously shares the queer joy in becoming a stan (a super-duper-UBER-fan). But stanning has its limits. Somehow being obsessed with women makes you… g-gAy?! News to me… Does Alexis have what it takes to stan himself, conquer the German bullies and find the diva within?? A campy, queer, heartfelt hour of musical comedy. Bo Burnham but GAY! ★★★★ THE STAGE. Brighton Fringe Best New Show Award Nominee. EdFringe+Soho Theatre sellout. Tour support for Matt Rogers (Las Culturistas)
Allow me to unpack Stan…
There’s a moment in A Stan Is Born where the room shifts – where the laughs, the camp, the chaos all click into something sharper, something real – and suddenly you realise this isn’t just a cabaret, it’s a full-throttle identity reveal dressed up in pop obsession.
Alexis Sakellaris commands the stage like someone who’s lived every lyric they’re about to throw at you. This is fandom turned inside out. Not the polished, PR-approved version of loving your idols – but the messy, all-consuming, scream-the-chorus-in-your-bedroom kind. And that’s exactly where the show finds its edge.
“…clever, chaotic and knowingly dramatic in all the right ways…”
Markus Hamence
Built around the idea of what it means to be a ‘stan’, the performance dives deep into the culture of idol worship and flips it into something personal. It’s not just about the divas – though they’re absolutely in the DNA of the show – it’s about what those voices represent when you’re trying to figure yourself out. There’s humour threaded through every beat, but it never undercuts the honesty. If anything, it makes it hit harder.
Vocally, Sakellaris is locked in – big notes, clean runs, and just enough theatrical flair to keep things unpredictable. But the real hook is the delivery. There’s attitude here. A cheeky, self-aware swagger that leans into the absurdity of pop culture while still celebrating it. The original material lands with a punch too – clever, chaotic and knowingly dramatic in all the right ways.
What elevates the show is its connection with the audience. It doesn’t sit back and wait for applause – it pulls you in, dares you to come along for the ride. One minute you’re laughing at a razor-sharp gag, the next you’re caught in a moment that feels oddly personal. That push and pull keeps the whole thing alive, unpredictable, and completely engaging.
“A Stan Is Born is loud, clever and unapologetically theatrical…”
Markus Hamence
And beneath all the glitter and high-camp energy, there’s a clear throughline: the idea that being a ‘fan’ is often the first step in becoming yourself. That somewhere between mimicking your heroes and screaming their songs, you start to find your own voice.
Wrap-up: ‘A Stan Is Born’ is loud, clever and unapologetically theatrical – a cabaret that turns pop devotion into something deeply human. It’s equal parts chaos and clarity, delivered with confidence, charisma, and just the right amount of bite.
A STAN IS BORN!
Sunday 15 February – Sunday 22 March 2026
Spiegel Zelt at The Garden of Unearthly Delights
Tickets
