“An intelligent, thought-provoking show that didn’t always hit the mark for me, but definitely stayed with me.”
Date: 6th August 2026
Time: 8:40pm
Venue: ‘Neill’s (The Tron) Monkey Barrel
Rating: ★★★(3/5) Reviewed By: Eilleen Inglis
Before the show had even started, Alice Fraser was already chatting with the audience as they took their seats in the intimate setting of Monkey Barrel at The Tron. This immediately broke the ice between performer and audience, creating the sense that we were being welcomed into a conversation rather than watching a stand-up set.
Oh Man! explores modern masculinity through Fraser’s sharp, intelligent lens. Drawing on her life in Queensland, Australia, she examines everything from gym culture and “alpha male” ideals to tech bros, self-optimisation and our increasingly monetised, digital lives. A sentient Roomba named Elon Dust provides an amusing presence, while a series of parody advertisements later in the show satirise a world where even the most basic human needs are packaged, optimised and sold back to us.
Alice is an engaging performer with a warmth that makes her instantly likeable. She has a natural ability to connect with theaudience, and there was lots of belly laughs throughout the performance, with many of the jokes clearly landing well.
For me, however, some sections felt longer than they needed to be. While there were plenty of interesting observations, I occasionally found myself waiting for the show’s central ideas to come into sharper focus. Once they did, I found the material much more engaging.
The show’s strongest moments came when the comedy gave way to something more reflective. Beneath the jokes lies a moving exploration of loneliness, technology and what can be lost when convenience replaces genuine human connection. The fictional adverts were one of the highlights for me. They were funny, but they also left me thinking about the growing negative influences of online culture, particularly on young men, and how easily efficiency can become a substitute for real relationships and experiences.
Oh Man! is an ambitious show that asks bigger questions than many stand-up shows don’t. It didn’t all land for me, but I was thinking about it for the rest of the evening. If you enjoy comedy that’s as interested in ideas as it is in laughs, Oh Man! is well worth a look.
