Australian comedian Amelia Jane Hunter's award-winning solo show Horny Peacock at Qtopia's Loading Dock Theatre as part of Sydney Pride Fest 2026, is a 55-minute performance that represents an intriguing, if unexpected, addition to a festival primarily focused on queer arts and culture.
Horny Peacock centres on a 50-year-old woman's unapologetic approach to sexuality, desire, and self-determination in an era when media relentlessly normalises marriage as life's default setting. Hunter's premise is deceptively simple: a menopausal woman rejecting societal expectations about what such women should want, be, or do. The specificity of that positioning, particularly coming from someone who has spent years living in Berlin and Barcelona, suggests a deliberate challenge to Australian assumptions about aging, femininity, and female sexuality.
The show's title alone signals Hunter's approach. "Horny" addressing female desire without apology or irony, while "Peacock" invokes both pride and performative display. Together, the title establishes a framework where "older" women's sexuality isn't a tragedy to be mourned or a problem to be solved, but rather something worth celebrating and, crucially, making visible.
Hunter's background (a trained actress, comedian, storyteller, and former Darwin bushwalking guide) suggests someone comfortable navigating multiple registers simultaneously. Her award wins at prestigious festivals (Thessaloniki Fringe 2024, Edinburgh Fringe Total Theatre Award, Sydney Comedy Festival Directors Prize) indicates the work resonates beyond niche audiences.
The performance balances self-deprecating humour with genuine vulnerability, functioning more as an elaborate monologue rather than traditional stand-up. This distinction matters. Monologues allow psychological complexity and emotional nuance that rapid-fire joke formats often preclude. Hunter's stated interest in giving "women's emotions a 3D background story" cements the theatrical ambition beyond simple comedy delivery.
What makes Horny Peacock otherwise interesting (if somewhat being incongruously straight within Pride Fest programming) is how the themes of sexual autonomy and rejecting normative expectations echo queer concerns even within a heterosexual context. The show does challenge media narratives that position marriage as an inevitable life progression (referencing the ubiquity of Married at First Sight on Australian television). That critique of heteronormative assumptions has queer resonance, even when the performer and show's primary focus isn't explicitly LGBTQIA+.
The show's physicality demonstrates the performer's willingness to use her body as comedic and philosophical text. This vulnerability, combined with discussion of aging female sexuality and desire, creates inherent risk. The fact that the work has achieved international recognition proves that Hunter navigates that risk with considerable skill.
But the inclusion of Horny Peacock in Pride Fest raises interesting questions about festival curation and community programming. Perhaps Pride Fest's expansion to 300+ events across Oxford Street necessarily broadens its scope beyond exclusively LGBTQIA+ work. This inclusion suggests either strategic programming of work exploring non-normative sexuality and autonomy, or acknowledgement that queer cultural space does accommodate diverse perspectives on gender, desire, and social convention.
Those in the audience responded enthusiastically to the work despite its focus on a heterosexual woman's experience, suggesting Hunter finds resonance points beyond her specific demographic. That cross-demographic appeal indicates the work's success as it addresses something broader than being a collection of mere personal musings.
Horny Peacock is entertaining. It's irreverent comedy addressing this life stage and sexuality with refreshing directness. Whether the work fully belongs within Pride Fest's framework remains secondary to the primary appeal: a performer celebrating female desire with intelligence and humour.
Amelia Jane Hunter: Horny Peacock. Staged at The Loading Dock Theatre, Qtopia Sydney, as part of Pride Fest 2026
https://qtopiasydney.com.au/
https://www.ameliajanehunter.com/
(images: supplied)
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