Elouise Eftos: Australia’s First Attractive Comedian
Fringe Encore Series, SoHo Playhouse
15 Vandam Street, New York, NY 10013
March 5, 2026 - March 15, 2026
Brace yourselves for total hot girl overload. Post Y2K meets modern day fembot ready to load you into comedy outer space in Elouise Eftos: Australia’s First Attractive Comedian.
Right as we make our way to our seats we see a backdrop of black and white looping footage of Elouise gallivanting around the beach in a bikini. None of us are really sure what to expect, but as soon as the lights dim out appears Elouise in a white bodice outfit mimicking Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. For those who know what happens in the scene, well, let’s say you are flashed, but not in the “conventional sense.” I will leave it up to the imagination should you decide to see the show.
“Normies” either stay home or let loose with Eftos as she gives you the lowdown on how being flipping hot should be a mortal sin. Eftos endearingly teaches us that “normies” is Aussie slang for your 9-5 mainstream person with typical tastes, views, and habits. She does not shy away from selecting a lucky male audience member to playfully call him a normie and, mid conversation with him, use clever staging techniques such as lighting changes, music, and her moving in sultry slow motion to indicate that, after all, not much is heard when you are in the face of stunning beauty.
Eftos never runs out of clever staging ideas, techniques, and props. Throughout the performance in the upper hand corner is a game remote control. Midway through her performance, Elouise selects a lucky audience member to hold the controller. She instructs them that they will select a particular avatar, be it a beach babe or nerdy librarian. Based on the selection they will then be prompted to complete a mission in under two minutes flat. The mission can range from getting the avatar to say, “I love you” or getting her phone number. As the audience member is about to choose which mission, Elouise runs for dear life backstage and then comes out dressed as whatever chosen avatar. It is highly entertaining when you see Elouise improvising with the willing audience member in order for him to win the challenge before the large 2:00 countdown timer blasted behind her on the screen goes off. She does not miss a single detail to the point where even her on screen avatars look like her.
It is very rare to watch a stand up comedian put so much effort into their routine. Elouise has it all from game playing, video footage, a dozen costume changes, the lot. Her strongest performance shows through when she is changing dialect. Watching her mimic the American language is a riot in itself. Her cool finesse and comfort with the audience shows, and her cockiness is a breath of fresh air in this day and age of self deprecation.
At one point Elouise shares her encounters with well established female comedians and it is disheartening to know there is a double standard and sort of hierarchy that still exists. I assure you Elouise is not bowing down anytime soon. She is exactly what the world needs, fearless and owning her identity. Elouise even blasts on a giant screen behind her the email or social media exchanges. It appears to be cathartic for her at these moments when she is able to face any sort of opposition and say to hell with it, “I am who I am!”
We can all use a bit of Elouise Eftos confidence in our lives because at the end of the day we are our harshest critic and self love is the key to finding courage when you most need it. Elouise Eftos: Australia’s First Attractive Comedian is an homage to owning your womanhood and never letting the clichés, pleasantries, and banalities bring you down. After all, Elouise Eftos is proud to be a glitch in a system of normies.
Review by Bianca Lopez.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on March 17th, 2026. All rights reserved.
