There's something clicks when it's just one person on stage, and Rob Carlton's Virgin in a Knife Fight is exactly that. An hour of sharp storytelling that had the audience laughing one moment and quietly sitting with something the next.

Rob opens with the title story, pulling us straight into a dark Salzburg street, 18 years old, a virgin, no plan, and suddenly face to face with a knife-wielding stranger over a missing backpack. It sets the pace immediately.

From there he shares four true stories from his own life, each loaded with humour, vulnerability and the kind of unremarkable moments that somehow stick with you. University antics, a bizarre courtroom situation on the Beaches, reflections on friendship and fatherhood. Every one of them feels real, and Rob tells them like he's still working out what they mean.

Award-winning stage and screen credits aside (he's in The White Lotus, he co-founded Bravewords), what Rob does here is remind you that compelling theatre doesn't need much. Just presence, timing, and something genuine to say.

Virgin in a Knife Fight is funny, a little heartfelt and quietly thought-provoking. The kind of show you'd recommend before you've even left the carpark.

Playing at Glen Street Theatre on Friday 21 August and Saturday 22 August at 7.30pm.

Review by Megan Vickery, Creative Director, Beaches COVERED.

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