Review: An A to Z Guide to Dating, Fringe 2026

An A to Z Guide to Dating is a clever, fun one-woman musical comedy involving writer/performer Grace O’Keefe dressing up in full drag as her mother, the author of Feast at the Famine – a book that, at the time, publishers had declared would set feminism back 20 years.

Vibe

It was an extremely hot day in the Underbelly Buttercup when I arrived. Grace O’Keefe wasn’t there, but a suspiciously dragged up ’50s housewife chic lady claiming to be her mother was there giving out compliments and fans (necessary to waft some coolness) whilst having a chat to the audience. She was sure Grace would be there any minute… and then, what a shock – it turns out she IS the show.

The show itself

The show is definitely a bit unhinged, with Grace’s kitschy drag mother ‘keeping things going’ until Grace arrives. We’re talking energetic musical numbers, cheeky crowdwork and costume reveals a-plenty. Seriously, O’Keefe must have been absolutely baking to death under those layers to begin with.

The real-life outdated dating guide she pulls out to entertain us with is called Feast at the Famine, and we learn a lot. Alphabetically speaking. I may start having to say ‘DEF!’ to things more often, because that part was pretty catchy. As O’Keefe’s ‘mother’ realises she’s only partway through the alphabet, we have to speed up, with lots of quirky advice coming at us.

Some of this advice is a bit unusual. I’m not too enamoured with the XL tampon we’re to use as a dampener to sex, but I guess I can get fully onboard with the masturbating part. At one point, a vibrator is flung at my feet. I have to say, going through this off-the-chain A to Z makes me glad I’m actually married.

Eventually, O’Keefe drops the disguise for the big reveal, and when the mask falls away, we get a more touching, personal finisher to the show. I really enjoyed the song about ‘Y’: be yourself (the style reminds me a little of Laurie Anderson‘s O Superman) – which are also the words of O’Keefe’s mother via an audio recording. It turns into a heartwarming, satisfactory show and you leave feeling good about it.

Overall

I found An A to Z Guide to Dating to be a really fun, slightly unhinged musical comedy involving dating advice, drag, amusing crowdwork and some energetic numbers. If you’re dating, you might find the surreal advice particularly funny with maybe a couple of gems in there you can actually use – or not. Heartwarming finale, and a fun vibe throughout.