Review: Friendliest, Fringe 2026

I made it along to Drew Lausch‘s Friendliest last night, and wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I entered the room and stage in the front row, confronted with a very small stage directly ahead of me. The person behind me guessed it was perhaps a metre wide. I was surrounded by Fringe acts for this preview night, all with shows of their own it seemed. I felt a little like an interloper.

However, all of that was forgotten when Lausch entered the room, with his poster board, and apologised for being late – not for the show, but for the pitch meeting where he was pitching the ‘world’s first gay superhero’ called ‘Fagman’.

Vibe

The vibe felt set when Lausch, in his character’s nervous energy state, turned his board around to show us all what his superhero looked like, and the room laughed at the very prominent buttcheeks, blue spandex costume and big cheesy grin. But the show also brings us to some much darker places, in this solo coming-of-age comedy with themes of small-town repression, coming out as gay, and first love – with some trigger-warning sexual violence thrown in.

The show itself

At times I was entertained, others I was uncomfortable and wanted to look away as Drew took us through his story (which is semi-autobiographical, by the way – which makes me think Lausch may have actually been nicknamed ‘Fagman’ in real life at school).

The character of Drew is not unlikeable, but he is a bit of a disaster. His friend Kayla probably isn’t the best influence, either. Because it’s such a small stage, and there isn’t much in the way of props (aside from the poster board and the headdress of Queen Amidala), Lausch IS the show, and he pulls it off well.

Drew has your full attention, and will occasionally make eye contact with you whilst talking you through various awkward scenarios, getting a few laughs from the audience as he goes; because, for the most part, you’re on his side. It’s also a very grey area show which asks the question: what if there are no villains and heroes, just people? It’s about being exposed, and raw, and a reminder that you can be flawed (nobody’s perfect) but still loveable anyway. Sometimes you may also be the villain.

I wish I’d managed to take a photo of the ‘Fagman’ poster board before Lausch ran off stage with it. Sadly, I was too slow grabbing my phone from my bag, and Lausch wasn’t sticking around for a long applause! It IS very funny, though. It’s later acknowledged in the show that Northstar was actually the first gay superhero.

Overall

Friendliest is an overall positive, LGBTQIA+ coming-of-age comedy with some sharp edges; and relatable to many. If you’ve ever asked yourself who you are in someone else’s story, and haven’t always liked the results, it may speak to you. Drew Lausch commands the small stage as semi-fictional Drew, and has the audience rooting for him as he goes through his superhero pitch and recalls key moments in his life which brought him here.

It’s a small, intimate show that packs a significant punch in places, and it also feels important – I’d imagine especially if you’re a young LGBTQIA+ person who is also learning more about themselves in an oftentimes unforgiving world.