Alanah Parkin's Garage Sale
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https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/alanah-parkin-s-garage-sale
Date Reviewed: 19/10/2025
On closing night of Melbourne Fringe 2025 at the Motley Bauhaus, I found myself dust-deep in Narre Warren South’s most chaotic garage sale.
What unfolded was a sharply observed, delightfully absurd exploration of suburban life and the secrets we bury beneath layers of quilts and quirky memorabilia.
From the moment you stumble into Alanah Parkin’s Garage Sale, Parkin—already transformed into 66-year-old Denise Dixon—is hawking knick-knacks with the gusto of a woman who’s downsizing but refusing to let go of drama, delusion, or decorative glassware.
Denise and her husband Greg are wading through the emotional haze of relocating to a retirement village, and what follows is a theatrical fever dream of suburban oddballs, buried secrets, and one man’s unhinged devotion to a genie in a bottle.
Greg—47 years sentenced to life with Denise—is part collector, part mystery man. He loves a frothy and is proudly obsessed with ’90s pop culture. His compulsive collecting habits are both endearing and unsettling. One standout moment—his horror at seeing his prized yellow gardening hat displayed front and centre on the trestle table—had the audience raucously laughing in recognition. “That’s my f’n hat!” he roars, swiftly returning it to the hallway rack. Delivered with comedic precision.
Margaret (Denise’s mother-in-loathe), a 93-year-old British battlax living in the granny flat out back, adds a layer of generational chaos that comes with every good Aussie neighbourhood saga.
But wait—we haven’t unboxed all the goods yet. Parkin throws in estranged daughters, ritualistic games, and VHS tapes that feel like cursed relics from a forgotten cult. The inclusion of pre-recorded videos to establish relationships and add narrative depth is a superb touch. A theatre suddenly thrust into an Aerobics Oz Style class of ’88 was unexpectedly heartwarming amidst all the hilarity.
What truly elevates Garage Sale is its ability to balance absurdist comedy with emotional resonance. Beneath the laughs lies a poignant commentary on memory, identity, and the quiet complexities of long-term relationships. The final act, with its theatrical flair and unexpected twists, lands somewhere between The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a particularly unhinged episode of Antiques Roadshow.
Garage Sale is a glorious mess of memory, madness, and mid-century décor. It’s nostalgic and deeply Australian, but its themes would likely resonate anywhere.
Alanah Parkin is a gifted performer with a keen eye for character and a fearless approach to storytelling. Garage Sale is a bold, bizarre, and beautifully crafted piece of theatre — richly detailed, and wildly entertaining.
Each persona is grounded in a world that feels both familiar and fantastically off-kilter.
Come for the bargains, stay for the tea.
Reviewed by Vivien Lynch