From knife fights to fatherhood, Logie-winner Rob Carlton turns life’s disasters into hilarious, heartfelt stories of courage, chaos and charm.

Rob Carlton – Logie-winning actor, writer and storyteller – returns with his brand-new show, Virgin in a Knife Fight, a fast, funny hour of four true stories from a life proudly underprepared.

It begins on the backstreets of Salzburg, where Rob finds himself in a three-person knife fight – despite never having used his travel knife on anything tougher than cheese. Eighteen years old, a virgin in a knife fight, it's fair to say he was underprepared! The story pauses there, setting up an hour of laughter, chaos and reflection as Rob dives into three more real-life adventures: a night of student bravado that spirals into moral panic, an absurd courtroom showdown on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and a moving story of fatherhood and friendship that hits straight in the heart, before returning full circle to the kid in a knife fight! 

With warmth, wit and flawless comic timing, Rob turns personal disaster into shared delight, finding the humour in chaos and the grace in hindsight. Virgin in a Knife Fight is about the moments we’re both hero and idiot at once – and finding joy in our blunders.

"I’ve never seen anything like it, this thing of simple storytelling beauty and humour nudging so regularly on the profound." – Trent Dalton (Boy Swallows Universe)

Rob’s last show, Willing Participant, sold out across the country and swept multiple festivals, winning Best Theatre at Perth FRINGE WORLD 2025, a Weekly Award at Adelaide Fringe and Best Theatre at Newcastle Fringe, getting loads of five-star reviews and making the best of Melbourne International Comedy Festival lists for ArtsHub and Beat Magazine. Audiences and critics alike praised his blend of storytelling and theatre:

Beyond the stage, Rob has starred in White Lotus (HBO), Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix), North Shore (Netflix / Paramount), Black Snow (Stan) and Dangerous Animals. And given Tropfest is coming back, it's worth noting Rob won Tropfest in 2006 with Carmichael and Shane, the moving short film about a single father of twins that chooses a favourite.

Virgin in a Knife Fight is directed by Darren Gilshenan (Colin From Accounts, A Moody Christmas) and cements Rob Carlton as one of Australia’s most engaging storytellers – hilarious, heartfelt and utterly unafraid to turn life’s disasters into something unforgettable.

Part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Image by Lisa Tomasetti