Fairytale: Ending sees British-born comedian, Roisin McAlinden, blend dark humour and intimate storytelling into a cheeky satire of the stories that shape our ideas of love. After critically acclaimed runs at Perth Fringe World, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Fringe, McAlinden will return to Melbourne playing at Bard’s Apothecary.
How would you describe your show to someone who knows very little about it?
Fairytale Ending is my debut hour of comedy, playing 6th – 10th October at Bard’s Apothecary for Melbourne Fringe. It’s a darkly funny, feminist anti-fairytale inspired by my own experience of a fairytale romance that turned into a nightmare. It’s a personal and playful exploration of feminism, gender roles, queer identity and the power of women telling their own stories.
What makes it stand out and why should people see it?
This show is a genre-defying mix of stand-up, theatre and storytelling, using dark humour and fairytales to examine the underlying beliefs that kept me in relationship that should not have been tolerated. See this show if you are ready to reflect on the stories you tell yourself about finding love and happiness. Or to celebrate the power of women finding our own versions of happily ever after.
How long was the process from idea to writing to stage? Any challenges along the way?
The first draft of this show spilled out of me, and within a couple of weeks I staged an early preview at a writer’s retreat with the wonderful Comedy Writers Group in August 2025. Since then it has gone through many iterations. I performed the first public version at Perth FringeWorld in 2026, when the experience I was talking about was still very fresh and raw so it was a bit scary laying out something so vulnerable in my first ever solo show! Now, 9 months and several festival runs later I can confidently say the show is really very funny. Every audience helps me to learn new things about which parts of the story people connect with and to hone those punchlines, so I always feel like every night I perform it is the best one yet!
What attracts you to fringe?
I love a Fringe audience because they are so open to seeing something outside of the usual. My show is genre-defying, mixing elements of stand-up, theatre and storytelling, so it’s great to have an audience who are open to experimentation!
How would you describe your relationship with the audience and what do you love the most about live performance?
I guess my relationship with the audience is a bit like my relationship with my two sisters. My favourite thing is making
them laugh, sharing my wisdom (wanted or unwanted) and winding them up a bit. I love hearing how people connect with my story live. It’s always so fascinating how the energy in the room and the response to different elements of the story shifts from night to night. My favourite thing is when people come up and share their own stories with me afterwards. What a privilege.
Who would you say have been your biggest inspirations?
I was inspired by reading Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own’, where she examines how centuries of lack of access to education, resources, privacy and peace have prevented women from telling their own stories. Before fairy tales were rewritten by men, they were told by women at fireplaces. I think it’s time we reclaim them as our own!
In terms of my stand up, I am inspired by so many brilliant women comedians who are using stand up as a tool for important conversations about mental health and the human condition – Helen Bauer, Alison Spittle, Ania Magliano to name a few.
What are three things that would surprise people to learn about you?
- Despite the critique that is central to this show, I still love Disney movies. Can you know something is problematic and still love it? My dating history would suggest so.
- I only started stand up at 30 years old after burning out in my career in non-profit campaigning. Is that too early for a midlife crisis?
- My face is almost entirely reconstructed with metal plates after a nasty car accident. My surgeon did such a good job that no one ever believes me until I show them the X rays I kept as a souvenir.
What do you love to most about performing at Melbourne Fringe?
This will be my first ever Melbourne Fringe! But in general I think Fringe festivals offer a really fun space to experiment and have fun with your artform, with audiences who are down to see something beyond the usual comedy you might see at a big comedy club.
What comes after the Fringe Festival for you?
I will be taking this show to Adelaide Fringe in 2027, and then hopefully over to the UK.
In a fairytale-turned-nightmare, Roisin McAlinden was swept off her feet by a knight in shining armour, but she quickly found a darker side to the saviour fantasy.
October 6 – 10
melbournefringe.com.au
