Spiritual Banana

Dusting off the ashes of her Saturn return, Banana Jolie (Confessions of an Aerobics Instructor, Putting the G'Day in Cabaret, Australia's Got Talent Finalist) has escaped the Melbourne lockdown to bring her solo comedy cabaret, Spiritual Banana to Aotearoa.

Navigating crisis, the imminent loss of loved ones and in the hypocrisy that is the instaglammed commercialisation of consciousness isn't an easy feat. This 50-minute "marathon of jaw-aching one-liners in song, rap, and break dancing, identifies honesty, integrity, and acceptance of the past and present "(Theatrepeople). Spiritual Banana is an existential exploration of faith, death, life and meaning with original music, physical comedy and whimsical witticisms, such as “Bogan Yoga,” “Doubtful Yuppies” and “Eat, Sleep, Pray, Repeat”.

Joana Simmons (Banana Jolie) was raised Catholic and attended an Anglican school. She moved to Australia in 2010 and has established herself as a performing artist over the last 7 years. She draws on her life as a performer, a yoga teacher and a psychology and philosophy student allows her to contemplate the human experience and how we reach for meaning, or lack thereof.

In its first season, Spiritual Banana sold out The Butterfly Club (Melb). The NZ Fringe festival season is part of a North Island tour including Raglan (SOLD OUT), Whanganui (SOLD OUT) and Auckland. Banana Jolie has presented shows at Splore (2021), Woodford Folk Festival (QLD), Splendour in the Grass (NSW), Melbourne International Comedy Festival, New Zealand Fringe (Putting the G'Day in Cabaret), Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne Fringe, The Village Festival, Falls Festival and Rainbow Serpent. She was a semi-finalist with “Miss Friby (and the Fribbles)” on Australia’s Got Talent.

"she's that good a comic"- Adelaide Advertiser
"so much talent in one human being"- Theatrereview
"Simmons is phenominal" -StageWhispers