Skank Sinatra: The Name on Everybody’s Lips - Adelaide Fringe 2026

Skank Sinatra: The Name on Everybody’s Lips

Presented by Jens Rada and Theatre TravelsThe Lark, Adelaide Fringe

Some performers sing cabaret; Jens Rada’s Skank Sinatra devours it whole.

Directed by Carly Fisher, this production once again demonstrates her instinct for good taste and focus. After years orbiting one another creatively, Jens Rada and Fisher’s paths finally collided in 2025 when Skank Sinatra headlined Qtopia Sydney’s Pride Fest igniting what feels like a powerhouse partnership of theatrical flair and creative ambition.

Several things are undeniable about the sensation that is Skank Sinatra. Skank is the creation of artist Jens Rada, and Rada is a formidable talent - actor, singer, drag artist and clown. With a clear strategy and a skilled team behind him, this is an artist who could easily fill major playhouses. Watching the show, I found myself wondering what the ideal role for Jens - or Skank - might be in a major musical or play.

“Skank Sinatra: The Name on Everybody’s Lip”s is a pastiche cabaret, accompanied by the charismatic pianist Josh Delperio who, Skank reminds us, proves that yes, they sing live. The repertoire spans from “Luck Be a Lady Tonight” to “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” while Rada loosely guides us through the “rules of cabaret,” peppered with anecdotes from his Danish, South African and Australian heritage. Like the great cabaret performers before them, Skank Sinatra understands that the form lives somewhere between confession, glamour and mischief.

Because this is also a drag performance, costume changes are expected though these are tricky for a solo performer. To solve the problem, the show inserts recorded imagined dialogue between Skank and Judy Garland while the artist changes offstage. It’s the weakest device in the show. And really, Skank isn’t alone: why not let the excellent Delperio continue the entertainment from the keys?

Still, this work springs from the imagination and craft of a major Australian artist with obvious audience appeal.

What I want, however, is to feel more.

When Skank launched into Stephen Sondheim’s Being Alive, the evening suddenly opened. Here was the possibility of something deeper but the song was quickly tossed aside in service of lighter, capital-E Entertainment. Perhaps a truly original Sondheim interpretation belongs in another show. Yet the ingredients for that more searching work are already present here, flickering through Skank’s performance.

I want this artist to dig deeper, to make the work matter. To let us glimpse the artist beneath the mask.

For now, “Skank Sinatra:The  Name on Everybody’s Lip”s is a lively, glittering cabaret gem. The name may not be on everybody’s lips yet - but it will be.

Go.

Review By Kate Gaul