REVIEW: Glace’s Big Things, Glace Chase, Adelaide Fringe 2026 ★★★

If you don’t know what the titular Big Things are, Glace’s show is a fantastic introduction to them, as well as to all things strange in the land down under. Big Things are those giant roadside attractions — huge statues of just about anything. They exist all over the world, but Australia has really made an art of them, with wikipedia citing over 1075 across the country, though different sources may count them differently.

After selling out the Sydney Opera House in 2020 with her show Triple X, Glace Chase finds herself stranded in Australia when COVID hits and the world shuts down. With a dwindling bank account and no way home, she decides to embark on the adventure of a lifetime in Queensland, visiting as many Big Things as possible in an attempt to become a travel vlogger (after deciding against a career on OnlyFans). As a trans woman in rural Queensland, she definitely stands out, but as the months go on and she visits an increasing number of Big Things, she finds a certain poetry in their existence. What begins as a failed travel blog becomes a hilarious second coming-of-age story.

On her travels she meets characters through hostels and Craigslist-style dating apps, receiving their wisdom and receiving their wisdom along the way. The whole performance aided by entertaining PowerPoint slides showing her jumping all over Queensland along with some pictures of Big Things to punctuate the entire routine. Minor complaint here, but I wanted to see more pictures of Big Things! If you tell me about Big Cassowary and don’t show me a picture there and then, you can bet a Big Dollar that I will be thinking about Big Cassowary until the end of the show.

It’s an incredible tale, almost unbelievable if it weren’t for the very real footage of the trip shown at the end. Glace tells the story with contagious enthusiasm, rarely still for a second, bringing a loveably manic energy to the stage. As loveable as that energy is, though, the show would have benefited from a few moments of stillness to help emphasise some of its more poignant moments. There are serious reflections and some real plot twists, but they feel tonally understated when delivered in the same high-energy, fast-paced manner as the rest of the story.

Ridiculous, campy and thoroughly engaging – Glace’s high-energy romp through Queensland will have you giggling and dreaming of your own road trip through Oz.

Recommended Drink: There are 4 Big Beer cans across Australia, tie one to a tow truck and crack it open at the show.

Performances of Glace’s Big Things have now concluded at Adelaide Fringe 2026.