THE SUMO SHOW

HIRAKUZA

Adelaide Fringe 2026

The Roundhouse, The Garden of Earthly Delights

24 February, 2026

★★★★★

It was indeed fortuitous that my guest for my debut review for All About Entertainment was Katrina Watts, a longtime resident of Japan and an international Sumo expert who speaks fluent Japanese. A TV personality in the Land of the Rising Sun, she is an extremely knowledgeable aficionado of Sumo.

To a neophyte such as myself, her companionship was invaluable as I entered the Roundhouse as a greenhorn. We were particular on where we sat, we had to be in raised seats, as it was imperative that we could see feet, they are a big part of the show.

The Sumo Show is a wonderfully entertaining and educational exposition of this arcane sport which is over 1,000 years old. Our three exponents were Waka, Matsu and Toma in fetching pink, green and blue silk loincloths respectively. Vital to this show’s success is Yukiko Akazawa, who guided us through the intricate rules of the game with her excellently articulated English skills.

One got to learn rituals and rules through demonstration by the performers of their training, foot stamping and stretching, the winning techniques, pushing and throwing, and, amusingly, the fouls not permitted in Sumo matches.

There is a lot of posturing, but the goal of the game is to force your competitor out of the ring or by getting them to touch the floor with their hands by using sheer strength. These rules were soon understood by our four guest competitors, volunteers from the audience. A great way to get people involved who had been entranced with the show from the beginning, indicated by the various ways language was transcended – lots of high-spirited encouragement and banter between performer and spectator.

By utilising a screen with pre-recorded information in English and the actual physical presentation, The Sumo Show is an enthralling and enjoyable snapshot of this fascinating and mysterious sport. A fun night out and highly recommended!

Eugene Ragghianti - All About Entertainment