One year, Shay Debney moved his life from Australia to London. On the anniversary, he performs his self-written show, A Series of Poorly Timed Questions, as part of Riverside Studios’ Bitesize Festival in London before taking it to Edinburgh Fringe next month.

Boilersuit-clad and leaping and darting around the stage like the floor is lava, Debney asks all the questions that might race through your head, both socially appropriate and less so. The more than 300 questions he delivers rapid-fire ask how our day is going, if we ever considered if we were God, and if we’d eat a human if it was killed humanely. Wide eyed and eagerly curious, he embodies an alien eager to learn about human life, or a toddler with excess existential awareness. It’s liberating, until it’s not. Until he realises which questions he really doesn’t want answers to. Is a joke falling flat worse than death to a performer?

An amusingly unusual opening makes way for Debney to introduce his questionable questioning premise, taking just a beat too long to click into high gear. Once he does, it’s full steam ahead. A single light bulb and snippets of music, a snare drum here and a classical piece there, lead us through musings on what the world, i.e. a Melbourne café, would look like if everyone only spoke in questions, how often we think about dying, and if the world has a perverted kink and actually wants to be destroyed by climate change.

Debney’s comedic physicality is that of an energizer bunny. He jumps on and off the furniture, springs in and out of the audience, and manipulates his movements to be excited, awkward, on the brink of ennui-related collapse, horny, and relieved. Audience participation is a core element of the show and Debney’s instincts for who to pounce on and who to leave alone are pretty spot on.

A quirky premise with lots of laughs and a hint of introspection makes for a fun 55 minutes. Prepare to be called out if you’ve given up on recycling or been known to scroll through TikTok while watching TV.

Prosecco | Wine Pairing

Is it good by itself? Does it work with Aperol, Limoncello, soda, fruit, herbs? Prosecco loves all of your questions and only gives you the answers you want.

Tasting Notes

Season	24-25 July 2025 @ Riverside Studios Hammersmith 30 July-24 August 2025 @ Edinburgh Fringe
Tickets	£8-12 (~$17-25AUD) @ Riverside Studios £11-12 @ Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Credits	Shay Debney (writer, performer)
See it if you like	Quirky comedy with a dash of ennui
Wine Pairing	Brown Brothers Prosecco NV – Buy it for $20 here.