This hilariously absurd production follows a mischievous queer alien learning about human behaviour through delightfully constructed audience interactions in a one-man extraterrestrial slapstick spectacle. 

When B48Y crash lands into Adelaide’s gay club Mary’s Poppin, it finds itself abandoned by its fellow aliens on our very own planet earth. Dressed in a skin-tight yellow morph suit adorned with furry purple tufts (including an adorably fluffy bum tuft) and topped with a thick purple moustache, the show’s protagonist uniquely resembles a taller, more flamboyant version of Dr Seus’s Lorax.

At first the creature appears confused and scared, but this is far from your wholesome E.T.-inspired tale. Instead, the comedically-gifted and enthusiastic performer Lukas Meintjes creates an alien character with queer sass, a ridiculous gibberish language, sexy mid-scene voguing, and playful audience bullying.

To adapt to this new planet, B48Y enlists its tentative audience to teach it human social behaviours prompting a string of hilarious interactions. Those lured on the stage by this mischievous alien are tasked with answering amusing questions like “what are some culturally significant phrases?” (translated for us by a ridiculous dildo-like machine), demonstrating how one might move their booty to attract a mate, instructing the alien how to wear a g-string. Meintjes revels in playfully tormenting his nervously giggling stage companions, deftly adapting to their responses with side-splittingly hilarious results.

Remarkably, Meintjes miantains masterful command of his audience while speaking almost no English throughout the entire performance. Instead, he relies on his exceptional clowning and physical comedy skills to ensure the theatre is consistently filled with roaring laughter. This crazy ad-libbing show concept would prove unsuccessful for most performers, making Meintjes’ confident execution all the more impressive.

It’s obvious how much fun the Melbourne-based performer has toying with his vulnerable audience – like a cunning cat playing with a befuddled mouse. His clowning is so effective that even he struggles to stifle laughter when delivering his ridiculous baby-babbling alien lingo and making exaggerated facial expressions. It’s impossible not to be charmed by B48Y as it gibbers away, learns to wear lipstick and loudly dry-retches like a cat threatening to cough up a giant fur ball.

For those wary of being dragged onstage, the safest strategy is to sit tucked away in the corner of the audience – but don’t let that fear stop you from experiencing this weirdly wonderful piece of extra(terrestrial) physical comedy.

Anyone seeking a standout comedy at Fringe should make this show a priority. Through the delightfully chaotic antics of B48Y, Meintjes gleefully mocks human culture and behaviour—and clearly has the time of his life doing it.
Do not miss it.