FAIRYTALE: ENDING to Return to Melbourne For Fringe Festival

British-born comedian Roisin McAlinden will bring her solo show Fairytale: Ending back to Melbourne as part of Melbourne Fringe 2026, playing Bard's Apothecary October 6-10.

Directed by Penny Greenhalgh, Fairytale: Ending blends dark humor, intimate storytelling and fairytale satire to examine the stories that shape cultural ideas about romance, relationships and what constitutes a happy ending.

The Melbourne Fringe engagement follows runs at Perth Fringe World, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Fringe.

Beginning with McAlinden's own experience of being swept into a relationship that initially resembled a fairytale before revealing a darker side, the show tackles the question frequently posed to women following unhealthy relationships: “Why did you stay?”

From there, McAlinden turns her attention to familiar fairytale heroines and the messages embedded in their stories. Belle's romance with an angry loner in a tower and Snow White's domestic arrangement with seven diamond miners are among the tales reconsidered through a contemporary feminist lens.

Fairytale: Ending also looks further back into the history of the genre, including Madame d'Aulnoy, the 17th-century French writer credited with coining the term “fairy tale.”

“These stories were once used to fight against forced marriage, warn women of the dangers of the world, and build hope for a better future,” McAlinden said. “How different would our ideas of love and happiness be if women had been able to tell our own stories?”

The show explores feminism, gender roles, queer identity and the power of women reclaiming control of their own narratives.

About Roisin McAlinden

McAlinden is a UK-born comedian now based in Naarm/Melbourne whose confessional storytelling frequently explores the intersection between personal experiences and politics.

After studying acting at Rose Bruford College, she began her comedy career in London, where she ran the Soho comedy night Hot Mess Comedy. Her Australian appearances have included Pride Comedy, Comedy in Theory and Comedy Republic.

Her debut solo show, Mirror Mirror, received four- and five-star reviews during its runs at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Perth Fringe World and sold out its closing weekend.

About Penny Greenhalgh

Director Penny Greenhalgh is an award-winning screenwriter and comedy performer who is currently writing for the second season of URZILA, starring Urzila Carlson.

Greenhalgh won an AWGIE Award for Best Comedy Series in 2018 and has worked on programs including You Can't Ask That and The Art Of. She has also been part of VicScreen's Originate Series talent accelerator program and trained in clown at École Philippe Gaulier in Paris.

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