Late to the Party: The ADHD Hour

Jessica Big and Eliza Dickson are best friends who are outrageously talented. They sing wonderfully, they write very funny stories, they frolic, and by the way, they discovered late in life that they are neurodiverse. (the most recent nomenclature for ADHD). They describe themselves as having a ‘Ferrari engine inside a 1970’s car body’ and given the pace and speed of the show, it is a perfect analogy.

This world premiere, 60-minute cabaret show mercilessly bares all of their struggles with brains that are like ’a pin-ball machine’, by inviting their neuro-diverse traits to a party. Unsurprisingly all of the traits are annoyingly late, and Eliza herself, wearing a T-shirt shirt that says, ‘Why did I come into the room’, is, of course late having lost her keys. She is disorganised and alternately apologetic and blasé.

The girls cleverly set about explaining the traits, aided by a series of excellent, medically correct video clips, and for each there is a parody song with unique personalised lyrics and carefully borrowed tunes. My absolute favourite is, ‘My Brain is on fire.’ Traits include illogical anxiety, executive dysfunction and rejection sensitivity dysphoria which forced Eliza to change her jacket and headwear three times. None of this is at all surprising to those of us who have an ADHD sufferer in the family or were the nice kid who had to sit next to the one in class who could not sit still for more than two minutes and behaved like three different people in that time.

Easily distracted and off track, Eliza and Jessica modelled it all, turning a serious disability into something to think about and understand totally differently. Their immense sense of fun and energy make them totally relatable, and I for one, wanted to be their best friend too. Their skill as lyric writers is jaw-dropping and wonderfully tailored to the mercurial and impulsive traits that inhabit their brains. I would like to see the show again to catch even more of the laugh out loud lyrics.

This show is unique and is a ‘must see’ for those with, and those who care about ADHD. It is also a ‘must see’ for those who appreciate parody, terrific comedy and a fun hour’s entertainment.

Jude Hines

Click here to read our Adelaide Fringe 2025 reviews