Millicent Sarre is by now a very familiar name to Adelaide Fringe goers, with multiple awards to her name and a musical in the works. This latest feminist cabaret is about the all too relatable theme of burnout. Millicent examines burnout from the context of the domestic mental load as often experienced by women with spouses and children, as well as the burnout and slump into apathy that can come from overexposure to the many horrors that saturate the media.

Millicent is never afraid to hit a difficult topic head on, and while in this show she still tackles these issues, the approach in this show is gentler overall, with an undercurrent of self care that we can all take to heart.

Millicent’s songwriting is superb. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen many of her previous works, including Friendly Feminism, Opinionated, and Bisexual Intellectuals, and it’s wonderful to see this skill develop with a more sophisticated melodic and harmonic structure, creating songs that are unique while still having an unmistakable Millicent Sarre flair. To top it all off, audiences are then treated to her remarkable stage presence and phenomenal vocal gymnastics, all self-accompanied on keys and loop machine.

Supporting Millicent on guitar and adorably awkward stage presence is her partner, Cameron Nicholls. Nicholls features as guitarist, but also as the subject of one of Millicent’s songs (a love song that also criticises the ethics of having paywalls in dating apps).

Millicent Sarre is Too Tired To Smash (Patriarchy) is a must-see this Adelaide Fringe. It is clever, self-aware, and kind in a way that might just help to heal a bit of that burnout.