Alice Fraser: Empire

Offering a meditation on the nature of good and evil, complicated by perspective and the moral certitude of Disney movies, Alice Fraser delivers another wide-ranging hour. The Australian comic incorporates such unlikely influences as quantum physics, Buddhism and gay dirty talk, with a banjo tune thrown in for good measure.

Dressed in big-shouldered, dominatrix-meets-schlocky '50s sci-fi villain attire, Fraser reveals that she always preferred the baddies to the heroes in Disney stories. A bookish nerd of mixed Catholic/Jewish heritage, the comic was brought up hippy by her mother's side of the family and strictly by her formal father, whose ban on television made the young Fraser's escape to watch movies at her friend's house delicious forbidden fruit.

The comic's relationship with her father is neatly illustrated in an account of him attending a gig she performed at, with the compere's casual sexism prompting him to act in a way that stirs conflicting emotions in Fraser. She also reflects on her friendship with the blokeishly right-wing Dave and potentially suicidal fellow comic Laura Davis, their respective personalities providing additional scaffolding for her morality.

Taking in a spell she spent in the Middle East working in women's education and the treatment of white Australia towards its indigenous population, Fraser throws a dizzying number of anecdotes and ideas at Empire. Ultimately, a confrontation between the maternal and paternal sides of her family afford it a satisfying feeling of structure and closure. Yet there are moments on the way you'll find yourself struggling to keep up if you're not sharp enough to make the connections.