Penis De Milo is a razor-sharp, subversive satire that slices through toxic masculinity with wit, irreverence, and an unexpectedly likeable charm. Brought to life by the brilliant mind of comedian Kate Smurthwaite, Milo Standards struts confidently onto the stage, swaggering, sharp, and delightfully provocative. In a festival teeming with drag queens, it’s refreshingly bold to see a drag king take centre stage with such charisma and comedic precision.

Smurthwaite, performing as her drag king alter-ego Milo, a clean-cut English lad who lands somewhere between Andrew Tate and a Shakespearean fool, delivers an hour of darkly funny, provocatively clever material. Armed with dubious dating tips from his podcast The Schlong Game and a burning mission to “educate” feminists on where they’ve gone wrong (you’re welcome, ladies), Milo skewers gender stereotypes with pitch-perfect satire.

Yes, some of the gags are gloriously twisted, but as Milo cheekily reminds us: imagine how much worse it would be if a woman told them. That’s the brilliance of this show, it dares to go dark, while cleverly flipping misogyny on its head and holding a mirror up to society’s absurdities.

What sets Penis De Milo apart isn’t just the laugh-out-loud moments (though there are plenty), but the precision and depth of its satire. Smurthwaite masterfully balances absurdity and truth, delivering punchlines that land with impact and linger long after the laughter fades.

With no-frills staging and an intimate venue in the Lab tent within Fool’s Paradise on Victoria Square, the spotlight remains firmly on the performance, and rightly so. Milo had the audience hooked from the first beat: charismatic, energetic, and utterly compelling.

Bold, thought-provoking, and brilliantly executed, Penis De Milo is a must-see. Support smaller acts, grab a ticket, and let Milo hilariously dismantle masculinity—one joke at a time.

Tracy Romano for
Adelaider Review Team