Review by Markus Hamence –- Tash York is Drop Red Gorgeous – Performance date: Friday 20 March 2026. Tandanya/Gluttony, Adelaide, South Australia.
Award-winning, wine-loving cabaret queen Tash York is Drop Red Gorgeous; a crimson-soaked tribute to the iconic redheads who’ve slayed stages, stolen spotlights, and inspired generations. As the second most famous redhead from Brisbane (and no, Pauline Hanson is not in the show), Tash channels legends from Adele to Annie Lennox, Bette Midle to Bowie, Florence (without the Machine) to Ed Sheeran, Lucille Ball to Rihanna (yes, that era counts).
Celebrating 10 years in the biz, she serves chaos, comedy, powerhouse vocals, and more wigs than Queen Elizabeth I. Expect outrageous tales, original songs, glamour on a budget, and the kind of unhinged energy only a seasoned redhead can deliver.
Because behind every great redhead is a bottle of Shiraz… and a questionable decision.
Let me unpack the red dye job…
There’s that a certain kind of wild electricity that only Adelaide Fringe can bottle – that late-night, slightly unhinged, gloriously unpredictable energy and some-what bonkers – and Tash York taps straight into it with Drop Red Gorgeous. This isn’t old-school cabaret, it’s a full-bodied pour of personality, politics, pop culture and pure vocal firepower, served unapologetically bold and flaming RED hot.
The minute this divine and beloved artist hits the stage at Gluttony, York leans hard into her signature chaos-meets-control style – a performer who looks like she might derail at any second, yet somehow lands every beat with razor-sharp precision. The concept is deliciously niche: a crimson-drenched celebration of iconic redheads across music and pop culture, from Adele to Annie Lennox, Bowie to Rihanna . But what elevates it is how personal it becomes. This isn’t just tribute – it’s autobiography, confession and rebellion wrapped in a sequinned, wine-stained narrative.
“York leans hard into her signature chaos-meets-control style – a performer who looks like she might derail at any second, yet somehow lands every beat with razor-sharp precision…”
Markus Hamence
And yes, the wine flows. Generously. Almost theatrically. It becomes its own co-star – a running gag, a prop, a metaphor – fuelling a show that swings between outrageous comedy and moments of surprising emotional bite. One minute you’re howling at a perfectly pitched parody, the next you’re hit with a reflection on identity, belonging, gasping at the ‘scooter’ incident and what it means to take up space in a world that doesn’t always welcome ‘too much’. That tension – silly and serious – is where York thrives.
Vocally, she’s an absolute weapon. The kind of performer who can flip from tongue-in-cheek satire into a spine-tingling belt without warning. Her reworked pop numbers – particularly those drawn from Ed Sheeran, Adele and Eurythmics – aren’t just clever, they’re layered with storytelling that reveals her journey through cabaret, queerness and self-acceptance . It’s cabaret with teeth, wrapped in glitter and served with copious amounts of shiraz, pino noir, cab sav, merlot etc…
Backing her is Peppy Smears, the perfectly chaotic counterpart on keys – their onstage dynamic crackles with quick-fire banter, playful antagonism and genuine chemistry. It’s less accompanist, more co-conspirator and together they build a world that feels intimate, messy and completely alive.
What makes Drop Red Gorgeous hit harder than your average Fringe cabaret is its refusal to stay surface-level. Beneath the wigs, the jokes and the camp theatrics, York is threading something deeper – a narrative about owning your voice, your anger, your identity. It’s messy, it’s loud and it’s deliberately so. As she leans into being ‘too much’, the show becomes a rallying cry for anyone who’s ever been told to tone it down.
“Beneath the wigs, the jokes and the camp theatrics, York is threading something deeper…”
Markus Hamence
And the audience? Fully onboard. Standing ovations, big laughs, singalongs – the kind of response that feels less like polite applause and more like collective release. I’ve followed Tash’s career for probably the best part of her 10 year career now and to see her develop and refine her craft has been a joy. A total pro at this entertainment gig.
This is cabaret that doesn’t behave. It spills, it bites, it celebrates, and it occasionally spirals – but always with purpose.
Wrap-up: Drop Red Gorgeous is Tash York at her most fearless – a riot of red, a punch of truth, and a reminder that sometimes the most powerful thing you can be… is unapologetically too much.
Tash York is Drop Red Gorgeous
Tuesday 17 March – Sunday 22 March 2026
BankSA Theatre at Gluttony – Rymill Park
Tickets
See our GALLERY of the performance
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