A new comedy lineup is set to push boundaries and celebrate the chaotic with Mental, a Melbourne Fringe show bringing together a rotating cast of comedians who live their material every day.
Running 16–19 October at Theory Bar’s Screening Room, the show blends stand-up, sketch and a touch of stripping in what’s described as a celebration of “neurospicy insanity.”
Each night features a fresh roster of comedians, with performers including Robyn Reynolds (MICF Best Newcomer nominee 2025), Firdi Billimoria (Thank God You’re Here), Meg Jäger (Comedy Zone), Rose Bishop (Breast of the Fest) and more.
Mental is held together by host Freddie Arthur, a RAW Comedy National Finalist 2025 and “born-again bisexual,” who will take the stage decked out entirely in antidepressants. For Arthur, the show is deeply personal.
“I want to hear mental jokes from people who actually live with it, not some edgelord trying to impress his friends,” she said.
Arthur’s path into comedy began in 2022 when she signed up for an open mic as an exposure therapy exercise for OCD. Since then, she has produced and hosted the sold-out Crackpot Comedy lineup at Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2024, performed completely naked on multiple occasions, and taken her material to both the UK and SBS Viceland.
Her debut solo hour, Dysfunctional Family Jukebox, premiered earlier this year at Adelaide Fringe before heading to MICF in 2025.
Mental runs for 55 minutes each night, with shows at 8:15pm (7:15pm Sundays). Tickets are $30 full price or $25 concession, available via melbournefringe.com.au or by calling (03) 9660 9666.
