Ten Must-See Shows at the Sydney Comedy Festival 2016
The funniest weeks of the year descend on Sydney once again.
Ten Must-See Shows at the Sydney Comedy Festival 2016
The funniest weeks of the year descend on Sydney once again.
If laughter is the best medicine then you'll never find a better time to fall ill. From Monday, April 18, over 200 local and international comedians will descend upon the harbour city for the 12th annual Sydney Comedy Festival, ready to fill your prescription of chuckles, giggles and guffaws. Stretching across more than four weeks at venues all around Sydney from the Opera House to Parramatta, it's just what the doctor ordered.
Of course, comedy is a notoriously hit-and-miss form of entertainment, so picking the right shows is key. Fortunately, the organisers at this year's festival have knocked the program out of the park. International stars including David O'Doherty, Ross Noble, Paul Foot and Sarah Callaghan will join local legends like Anne Edmonds, Demi Lardner, Michael Workman and Lawrence Leung. Alternatively, you could go and watch a bunch of people reading erotic fan fiction. The choice is entirely yours.
-
10
This year marks the first ever Sydney Comedy Festival appearance by 22-year-old stand-up Demi Lardner, and believe us, it’s long overdue.
Busting onto the scene in 2013 as the winner of RAW Comedy in Melbourne and So You Think You’re Funny in the UK, the Adelaide born comedian has been killing it on the circuit ever since, and recently debuted her new show Life Mechanic in Melbourne to no small amount of acclaim. Here’s hoping we’ll be seeing plenty more of her in the years to the come.
In the meantime, don’t miss her act at The Enmore Theatre in the last week of April.
-
9
She may only be 24 years old, but Sarah Callaghan has the confidence of a veteran performer. Trained in improv at the Second City School in Chicago, the British comedian broke out in a big way last year, with the debut of her critically acclaimed solo show, Elephant, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Set in her bedroom, the show combines personal stories about ambition and the desire to escape, with gut-busting comic jabs delivered with a wry smile or a sneer. She’s only in Sydney for a single night, so be sure to snap up tickets while you can.
-
8
The beloved Irish comedian and his Casio keyboard are back. The new show from David O’Doherty at the Sydney Comedy Festival is a bit of a mouthful, but then what else would you expect?
Jumping back and forth between standup and original songs, the award winning comic’s dorky, self-deprecating humour never ceases to entertain, whether he’s coming up with app ideas or singing about Grand Designs. It’s basically impossible to leave one of O’Doherty’s shows without a giant grin plastered across your face.
-
7
Throw on a trench coat and your finest tinfoil hat for an evening of paranoid hilarity at Giant Dwarf. Hosted by Sydney comedians Cyrus Bezyan (RAW Comedy National Finalist, ABC Fresh Blood) and Jack Gow (Sydney Comedy Festival, Break Out Comedy Showcase 2015, two-time The Moth StorySLAM winner), Conspiracy Theories will peel back the facade of your workaday world and reveal the puppet-masters pulling the strings.
From lizard people to the man on the grassy knoll, no rock will remain unturned, no matter how unsuspicious it may seem. Make it a priority to catch this one-night-only show during the run of the Sydney Comedy Festival. You’ll never look at footage of the moon landing the same way again.
-
6
One of the most promising young Australian standups out there, Becky Lucas first caught our eye as one of the finalists of RAW Comedy in 2013. Since then she’s opened for Wil Anderson, written for Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me, and performed at the legendary UCB theatre in LA.
Her new show, Baby, marks her second time at the Sydney Comedy Festival, and covers everything from depression and abortion to falling down the rabbit hole on Menulog.
-
5
“Kara is a storyteller,” reads the comedy festival program entry for Kara Schlegl’s new show. “Picture her as your kindergarten teacher, except she drinks wine, swears a lot and tells you inappropriate stories about her sex life.”
Co-host of the diversity driven Wolf Comedy, one of our favourite undiscovered comedy rooms in town, Schlegl shapes up as one of the most exciting young acts on the local comedy circuit. But don’t just take our word for it. Festival organisers clearly feel the same way, hence her inclusion in the festival’s FRESH section, featuring some of the best emerging talent in the country.
-
4
One of the bigger local names on this year’s festival lineup, the last twelve months have been particularly good to Tom Gleeson thanks to his supporting role on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.
His new show is titled Great, which we hope is prophetic and not just an empty boast. Fortunately, reviews out of the Melbourne and Brisbane Comedy Festivals suggest it’s very much the former. Expect plenty of anecdotes about his family life, along with jabs at Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Dutton.
-
3
Best known as the voice of US cable network Comedy Central and one of the best ever episodes of Drunk History, American comedian Kyle Kinane is hitting the harbour city with a show called Terrestrial Woes.
It’s a fitting title for a comic whose humour tends to stem from observations about everyday misfortunes. He’s a gruff but immensely likeable storyteller with a talent for making the mundane seem funny and occasionally profound. A definite standout on this year’s program.
-
2
Winner of the Comic’s Choice Award at last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and one of the founding members of the True Australian Patriots, Anne Edmonds is fast becoming one of our favourite Australian stand-ups.
Ribald and energetic with a healthy-dose of sarcasm and self-deprecation thrown in, her latest show, That’s Eddotainment, focuses on two key themes: despair and humiliation. Not the easiest subjects for an hour-long comedy show, but Eddo well and truly delivers.
-
1
A familiar face on panel shows like Would I Lie To You? and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Paul Foot is one of the most unique voices on the stand-up circuit today. His strange, ranty, stream-of-consciousness comedy has made him a favourite with festival audiences around the world.
An Evening With Mr Paul Foot features highlights from some of his best shows in years gone by, making it a perfect primer for those unfamiliar with his work, and a must-see trip down memory lane for his fans.
- Twenty of the Best Airbnb Stays You Can Book in Tasmania
- Fifteen of the Most Unique Stays You Can Book Around New Zealand
- The Mightiest Tiny Houses You Can Book Around NSW
- The Most-Secluded Retreats You Can Book in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland
- The 14 Best Hotels In Melbourne
- Ten of the Best Airbnb Stays You Can Book Around Australia