If you thought Katniss was the protagonist of the well-known epic by Suzanne Collins, think again. Following their resounding success at Adelaide Fringe, Dramafreak Productions and L&D Projects return to Sydney Fringe with Definitely NOT a Hungry Game: A Parody Musical. And it’s definitely not what you’d expect.
Co-written by Freya Moore, Robbie Alexander and Alex Gonzalez, and co-directed by Edan Mcgovern and Aden Abeleda, this comedic musical sees The Hunger Games through a very different lens.
Dramafreak Productions, founded by Robbie Alexander and Freya Moore, is a company of around 20 artists, all under the age of 30. L&D Projects, founded by Nicholas Leech and Simone Dawson, is an independent creative production house. Their focus is on championing independent artists who want to help change the world through new songs, stories, stages and start-ups.
The energetic cast of triple-threat talent shows us another side to post-apocalyptic Panem. A side where Effie comes fabulously to the centre stage. Played with standout star quality by Robbie Alexander, Effie shines as the multidimensional narrator of sorts, complete with flawless death drop.
Freya Moore brings a true representation of Katniss, who is treated with the disdain her self-serving (we were all thinking it) character deserved. The character’s redeeming feature? Her incredible voice, even if the others on stage playfully lament yet another 4-chord song about Katniss’ feelings. It’s here that Moore really takes the spotlight with stunning vocal talent that will undoubtedly take her far.
Where Katniss remains her surly self, the biggest surprise is the character development of Peeta. We were all secretly hoping for it, but never admitted to it. Over the course of the show, the soggy sourdough of a human rises to take his moment as baker’s delight. With clear emotional versatility and powerful vocals, Tom Kelly turns Peeta from a lurking loser to a leading man.
Worthy of notable mention is the comedic prowess of Alex Gonzalez, who plays Katniss’ mom. Her hilarious audience interaction adds a unique flavour to the start of the second act.
Credit also needs to be given to the astonishing 18 original songs, co-written by Alexander and Moore, in this 2-hour production.
At the show I attended, the slightly too loud music sometimes made it hard to discern what the characters were singing about. If you could catch it, though, the songs and dialogue are packed with references to everything from RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Summer I Turned Pretty to Wicked and Jimmy Carr.
Definitely NOT a Hungry Game: A Parody Musical offers a night of sensational silliness, where the odds are turned on their heads. If you’re looking for deeper meaning or weighty ideological commentary, this is not the show for you. But if you’re keen to see a favourite fiction through a funhouse kaleidoscope lens, you’re in for a treat.
The show is sold out for the remainder of the Sydney Fringe season, but be sure to look out for future dates and works by Dramafreak Productions and L&D Projects.
Definitely NOT A Hungry Game: A Parody Musical runs to 20 September at the Off Broadway Hub, Eternity Playhouse as part of 2025 Sydney Fringe Festival. 39 Burton Street Darlinghurst NSW 2010.
The season is now sold out.
Website: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/definitely-not-a-hungry-game-a-parody-musical/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/defsnothungrygame_musical/
Photo credits: Robert Hoang
