Tone & Cheek’s Tuck Shop – A Cabaret That’ll Leave You Gagging (In a Good Way)

The Tuck Shop Ensemble

Returning to NAFA in 2025 is Tone & Cheek Productions with their show Tuck Shop, a raucous wonderland that will leave you wide-eyed and grinning from cheek-to-cheek. Tuck Shop is like a lovechild of Boogie Nights and Priscilla, and after their 2024 hits Club D’Amour and Happy Endings, this troupe has clearly decided that subtlety is overrated.

From the moment hostess Cougar Morrison struts on stage, armed with an acid tongue and a repertoire of razor-sharp one-liners, you know you’re in for a wild ride. Cougar commands, cajoles, and occasionally roasts the audience with brilliant precision; her comedic timing is tighter than a corset on a drag queen, and her audience interaction is slick.

The show itself is a smorgasbord of cabaret, burlesque, and circus artistry, all wrapped in a cheeky, glitter-drenched package. Simulated drug use, sexy choreography, prolapse jokes and four-letter words - this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is not the show to bring your mum to—unless your mum is Madonna. But for everyone else, it’s a riotous, risqué romp that’s as polished as it is provocative.

Amy Ehlers belts out more gay anthems than a Saturday night at The Beat in Fortitude Valley. Her pipes are the backbone of the show’s soundtrack, which swings from camp classics to sultry ballads.

Then there’s the physical spectacle. Jace Goncalves and Matthew Pope utterly defy gravity with trapezium, ribbon, and hula hoop routines that left me with arthritis. Nat Oakes turns up the heat literally with her fire-breathing and twirling, and her Dirty Dianna act is so steamy it should come with a mop. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, Sian Brigid swallows swords and cracks whips like she’s auditioning for a Quentin Tarantino film.

The athleticism on display is jaw-dropping and the clever little touches throughout—costume reveals, cheeky props, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gags—show just how much thought has gone into every glittery detail.

Tuck Shop is a celebration of queerness, camp, and unapologetic artistry. Grab some mates or your partner and head along for a loud, proud, and utterly unforgettable night.  And maybe leave your mum at home.