Vanessa Mitchell is back and fully charged with two raunchy Fringe comedies
After selling out shows and leaving audiences in stitches across the globe, Vanessa Larry Mitchell is back at Fringe World, performing her breakout comedy show Teardrops On My Dildo and its unapologetic high-voltage sequel Teardrops on My Dildo: Fully Charged. Delving into the chaos of love and lust with a side-splitting hilarity, Teardrops on My Dildo hits multiple venues across Rockingham, Kalamunda, Busselton, Northbridge, and Scarborough from Thursday, February 5 to Saturday, February 14, with tickets on sale now. Teardrops on My Dildo: Fully Charged hits The Royale Theatre at Planet Royale and Pink Fairy at FringeConnect Stirling from Thursday, February 12 to Saturday, February 14, 2026, with tickets on sale now. ABBY GREER sat down with Vanessa Mitchell to find out more about her raunchy, hilarious stand-up show.
Congratulations on bringing not one, but two shows to this year’s Fringe World Perth! How does it feel to perform two shows so close together, sometimes on the same day?
It’s like sharing ten years of my personal diary with strangers. It’s pretty exposing, as there’s a LOT of revealing content in both shows, but they’re both so bloody funny, if I do say so myself. The first show represents my early post-divorce phase, which a lot of women can relate to—that’s where most of us hit our wildest era since our teenage years—and the second show represents where I am at now. Still wild at age 46, but at a different pace. People feel like they really know me on a personal level once they’ve seen both shows. You don’t have to see one to see the other, though; they work as standalone shows.
What can fans of Teardrops On My Dildo expect from Teardrops On My Dildo: Fully Charged?
The new show has a bit more of a storytelling style than the original. I really wanted this one to stand out as much as the first so that people would remember it and talk about it for days to come, so I used some visuals on the screen throughout. And I can promise people that people will not forget the visuals on the screen. I received a 5-star review for the new show in Adelaide Fringe, so I can’t wait to bring it over and see how Perth audiences receive it!
And how about newcomers? Is there anything they should brace for?
I’m lucky that the titles seem to give people an idea of what they are in for. It’s definitely not a show for the easily offended or judgemental people. And if they think, ‘Oh, we’ve seen it all before,’ I can promise you that you haven’t. If you imagine the naughtiest girl in your friends group, I’m just like her but probably 10-fold. What you see on stage is honest and raw. It’s about my story as a middle-aged woman and single mother, but the show was never meant to be just for women. Initially I’d get 90% female audiences, but that has really started to change in the last year or two, and men make up a good proportion of the audience and laugh just as hard as the ladies. They also learn a thing or two.
Teardrops On My Dildo: Fully Charged sees you bring your trademark mixture of sincerity and savagery to the stage—in what ways will we see these ideas appear throughout the show?
I’m one of those people who wears their heart on their sleeve and says too much. Even in my personal life, if I think it, I say it. I talk a little bit about my supportive—but somewhat racist—dad in the show. I also bring up a story about being afraid that two men were going to assault me. It’s a very small part of the show, but I always turn my stories into taking the power back. Sometimes that’s the only way we, women, can win. The way I do that can be a bit confronting for people, I guess, but the intention is always to make it funny and be empowered.
I never realised how savage I can be until someone pointed it out, but that’s probably why I rarely have hecklers. I’m a bit of a boss bitch when I’ve got the mic. People seem to respect that. Or fear it.
Teardrops On My Dildo was your debut show—how does it feel to now be touring internationally with the show that started it all?
I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to do with that show—I’ve sold out shows in a number of countries and did my biggest show in New Zealand to over 550 people. That was pretty insane. I still love performing intimate shows too, though. I just love performing. Being able to do Edinburgh Fringe for a whole month was incredible. You really develop as a performer when you perform for people from all over the world. This year I took it to Amsterdam, Belfast, Galway and some of the most renowned comedy clubs across England and Scotland. I’m taking the new show over next year, so I’m so pumped to be able to do that and really build a following over there. I usually get a few new stories when I travel, so they can go in the next show.
You’ve been described in testimonials as “exactly the comedian women need right now.” How do you feel your show empowers women?
I didn’t mean for that to happen, but I think I remove shame for a lot of people, especially women. I used to have social anxiety when I was growing up because a lot of my choices were seen as ‘not socially acceptable’. But fuck other people’s expectations. I feel sorry for people who have to hide themselves away to fit someone else’s narrative. That shit can literally make you sick. As long as you’re not hurting anyone, just do whatever you want.
Being your truest self is actually really important to being a comedian. People can see through it if you are bullshitting.
You’re bringing Teardrops On My Dildo to Busselton Fringe this year—any plans while you’re down there?
I won’t have a lot of time; festival seasons are so full on, but I will definitely be checking out the beaches and hitting at least one winery while I am down. I’d really love to come back and do a regional tour of more places in South WA. My youngest child is about to turn eighteen, so life is changing rapidly, but that means I will have more freedom to tour. I’d be so keen to check out more of WA.
Teardrops on My Dildo hits multiple venues across Rockingham, Kalamunda, Busselton, Northbridge, and Scarborough from Thursday, February 5 to Saturday, February 14, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au. Teardrops on My Dildo: Fully Charged hits The Royale Theatre at Planet Royale and Pink Fairy at FringeConnect Stirling from Thursday, February 12 to Saturday, February 14, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au