Adelaide Fringe Review:Sam Taunton – This Must Be the Place – The Garden of Unearthly Delights, 2026

This Must Be the Place by Sam Taunton is a warm, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt hour of storytelling that feels both deeply personal and instantly relatable. Built around the house he grew up in on Shoalhaven Street in Nowra, the show explores the strange nostalgia tied to the places that shape us. As well as the chaotic, hilarious memories that happen inside them.

Right from the start, Taunton taps into a very specific kind of classic Aussie humour. His description of the family home being held together with pop-rivets and a near-religious use of WD-40 perfectly sets the tone. It’s vivid, self-aware, and funny in a way that anyone who grew up in an old suburban house will recognise immediately.

What makes the show work so well is Taunton’s ability to generate a shared feeling of what could best be described as confused nostalgia. The stories jump between childhood misadventures, small-town characters, and some genuinely awkward moments from his life. All told with a relaxed charm that makes the whole thing feel like you’re listening to a mate recount the strange highlights of their childhood.

While This Must Be the Place is packed with laughs, it’s the final stretch that really sticks with you. Without getting overly sentimental, Taunton reflects on his dad selling the family home and what it means to lose the place where so many memories were made. The moment builds into a surprise segment featuring a performance with members of his own family, singing the sentimental classic, Puff, the Magic Dragon. It’s simple, personal, and genuinely moving. The kind of ending that might bring a small tear to your eye. It certainly did for me.

Ultimately, This Must Be the Place is a heartfelt, sharply funny hour of storytelling that reminds us why comedians like Taunton are so good at turning life’s messy, awkward moments into something worth celebrating. It’s warm, relatable, and absolutely worth the ticket.

This Must Be the Place is running in The Garden of Unearthly Delights until Sunday 8 March, get your tickets here.

5 stars.

By Jess Pyke