Sharnema Nougar has already had a huge impact on this year’s Fringe, directing Mel McGlensey’s Motorboats & Normal , Sugar Bits are: Feminist Trash and Gemma Caruana: Rage Baitand now performing her own show Annus Horribilis by Sharnema Nougar. Her show is a highly entertaining wandering through her health journey performed in her clown style with changes of characters that brings the audience to a royal visit with a message.

Nougar knows how to create a good show, being a winner of Best Comedy (Director) at both the Adelaide Fringe and Fringe World Perth and being nominated twice for the Golden Gibbo (Director) at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and she brings her outstanding skills to Annus Horribilis. First entering the stage in a high layered pink wig wrapped in shimmering white fluff she contemplates the meaning of Kate Bush’s song Babooshka in character accent before getting the audience to sing along. She then performs a striptease revealing layers of personal ‘bush’ especially between her bottom cheeks.

After performing songs with her keyboard, Nougar then begins the narrative of her life and her family members, before discussing her diagnosis with Lynch Syndrome, an inherited genetic condition that increases the risk of developing colorectal, endometrial, and other cancers. As the show continues, she discloses her decision to have a hysterectomy to reduce the risk of getting cancer. Throughout she changes her costume a number of times in front of a mirrored dresser and the audience meets characters including Miss Piggy and Queen Elizabeth.

Also interspersed are songs and audience participation. One audience member is co-opted on the stage to fulfill the role of “Dr Generic” in a Q&A session providing some important information about her medical treatment done in a very amusing manner.

Nougar is a part of We Did It, a comedy collective of three clowns who “mix classic European physical theatre styles with modern improvisation techniques and general buffoonery.”  This is the style Nougar expertly brings to Annus Horribilis to great comic effect.

One of the lyrics to one of her songs is “stop laughing, it’s not funny” and while the content is heavy at times, Nougar performs the very funny show expertly with a serious message about her medical advice and treatments. As a bonus, the audience can meet Queen Elizabeth after the show.

The show is R18+ with several warnings including female nudity.