Fringe review: Twinky Twinky Little Star
Zak Vasiliou is delightfully funny and heart-warmingly authentic in his stand-up debut. ★★★★ ½
In Twinky Twinky Little Star Vasiliou divulges childhood memories, questions his parents’ gaydar and teaches audiences an encyclopaedia of gay characteristics in an expertly balanced 50-minute set.
Coming out stories, while important to tell in a landscape where LGTBQIA+ identities are under threat, can in 2025 feel tired and tinged with sadness. Vasiliou avoids the tropes while dipping into queer cultural references just enough to revive the genre with joy and comedic flair.
Twinky Twinky Little Star feels fresh because of Vasiliou’s authenticity; he subverts expectations and has bountiful original material pulled from his varied experience from being a young tween on the internet to a disability support worker at a topless bar with two blind men. The material balances the relatable and the bizarre, but is rooted in an earnest vulnerability that makes the young comic easy to invest in.
In an accompanying slideshow, Vasiliou uses pictures, video and audio collected in his adolescence to show us exactly who he is, complete with footage of him performing ABBA’s ‘Mamma Mia’ in Rundle Mall. Vasiliou navigates through the presentation and parodies it with impeccable timing, along with visual callbacks that give the show an impressive polish.
The show was being filmed on the night of this review, and the presence of the camera naturally put extra pressure on the audience to laugh louder and clap harder. Though seemingly over-enthused at some more obvious jokes, the sold-out crowd gave Vasiliou plenty of warmth, and he thrived off its buzz.
A highlight of the autobiographical material was how Vasiliou seamlessly weaved in his Greek heritage, from an anecdote about visa conditions to being the only one in his family who doesn’t speak the language – bar one special exception.
With punchlines timed effectively to deliver a one-two callback punch and an extraordinary vocal feat in the full circle finale, Twinky Twinky Little Star is a well-written and even better-executed debut.
Twinky Twinky Little Star continues at Prompt Creative Centre until March 22
Read more 2025 Adelaide Fringe coverage here on InReview