Adelaide comic Phil De Bondi is bringing the world premiere of his debut Fringe show Phil De Bondi – The Man Who Never Sleeps and missing it might keep you up at night.

Confronting childhood trauma, masculinity, and what the body remembers when the mind tries to forget, the show turns a rare sleep disorder into a powerful and unexpectedly funny exploration of the costs of carrying unresolved harm into adulthood.

Diagnosed with the condition parasomnia, Phil discovered his lifelong inability to rest was not just confined to his work ethic; it was hardwired.

This show follows the chaos and comedy of a body that never sleeps, but using the condition not as novelty, but as a lens.

“I move every minute I’m asleep. To everyone else, it looks like I’m fully awake,” Phil says. “I didn’t set out to write this show. However, having started working with writing coach, now show Director, Marcel Blanch-de Wilt, the sections that I wanted to skim over, were the areas he was most interested in. Over time these themes became the central part of the show and I’m glad it did.”

Told through dark, heartfelt comedic storytelling, what unfolds is an hour of comedy that moves between Phil’s absurd sleep behaviours through deeper examinations of his life, health, and having to contend with the struggles of every day while being perpetually exhausted.

“There’s a subtext around the impact of domestic violence on the next generation,” he says. “And how I, a middle-aged white man, have managed to break that chain in my now wonderful life with my wife and daughters.”

Parasomnia affects just 0.5% of the population, yet Phil’s story resonates far beyond the condition.

Phil De Bondi – The Man Who Never Sleeps speaks directly to audiences navigating physical and mental health, positive masculinity, and the inherited behaviours that ripple through families.

If you’ve ever fought against your own limitations and won (or lost but kept going anyway), Phil De Bondi – The Man Who Never Sleeps will be immediately relatable.

Produced by Sifa Comedy, this is a show for anyone who has lived through trauma (directly or indirectly), and wondered how much of the past the body continues to carry, and how to shake it all loose.

Phil De Bondi – The Man Who Never Sleeps at Adelaide Fringe 2026

20-22 Feb, 8.30 pm + 17-22 Mar, 7.15 pm (60 min)

The Balcony Bar at The Austral, 205 Rundle St, Adelaide/Tarndanya

Tickets: http://adlfrin.ge/06UATd

Genre: Comedy / Storytelling

Duration: 60 minutes

Themes: Men’s physical and mental health, domestic violence (referenced, not displayed), childhood trauma, sleep disorders, masculinity, parenting.