★★★★★
Adelaide Fringe. David Salter & Matthew Liersch. The Yurt at The Courtyard of Curiosities. 22 Mar 2026
The Yurt at The Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum was the stage for a curious act indeed. With a straight face on his beard-bedecked visage of kindness and caring, children’s theatre entertainer David Salter convinces us he’s about to conduct an interview with a Dame Granny Smith. The reputation of this show precedes it—it won the Frank Ford Award in 2024 and Adelaide Fringe Best Overall Variety Award in 2025. So it’s no secret – well, maybe this is a spoiler alert, I don’t know—that Dame Granny Smith is actually a bright green Granny Smith. It was as if Dame Edna Everage came back as an apple.
To say that this is simply a ventriloquist act would be as unkind as a Texan reviewer I heard report that Dame Edna was a transvestite act. Salter and his palm or pomme puppet are an incredible pear. They will have you in peals of laughter. Unlike her fruit namesake, which is crisp and tart, this Dame is crusty yet ripe. Salter gets her to recount her showbiz career from the orchard to the stage. Salter’s warmth and empathy gets the best of his guest. With the assistance of some clever stagecraft, the interview evolves in a magical way towards a reveal of what’s really going on ‘cause apples ain’t apples in the end.
Salter is the most easy-going unrushed and accomplished ventriloquist I’ve seen, and I’m no-one’s dummy. Don’t waste your time trying to see his lips move. Concentrate on the story and enjoy. It’s as sweet as apple pie.
I believe he’s returning next year. I wouldn’t miss it.
Bravo!
David Grybowski
When: 20 Feb to 22 Mar
Where: The Yurt at The Courtyard of Curiosities
Bookings: Closed
