The Ten Best Shows to See at the Sydney Comedy Festival 2015
The best way to work your stomach muscles this autumn.
The Ten Best Shows to See at the Sydney Comedy Festival 2015
The best way to work your stomach muscles this autumn.
Charlie Chaplin once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Thankfully, the good folks over at the Sydney Comedy Festival agree wholeheartedly and are back again to ensure we don’t waste the 27 days spanning April 20 to May 17.
Returning for its 11th year to venues across the city, the festival brings a chock-a-block comedy calendar catering to all comedyphiles. From side-splitting stand-up to sit-down storytelling, sketch shows and improv, they’ve covered the entire comedy spectrum. While there are a stack of stellar shows — including the always popular Gala and Cracker nights — we’ve narrowed it down to ten you can’t afford to miss if you don’t want a wasted day.
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10
Sammy J and his perverted purple puppet Randy are back again to bring joy to our hearts. WithAvenue Q on its way to The Enmore in July, now is the perfect time to get reacquainted with smutty songs from a fluffy felt mouth. So go and bask in the glory that is this unconventional comedy duo as they serve up and hour of songs that will stay stuck in your head until next year’s festival.
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9
If you’ve missed waking up with Tom every weekday morning since he left triple j, then now is the time to reconnect. Wil Anderson describes him as “one of the most original, fearless and hilarious voices in Australian comedy”, and that guy knows a thing or two. So get yourself down to The Comedy Store and catch Ballard’s latest work of art. Be quick though; it will sell out.
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8
Josie Long is great, just great. You’ll never catch her without a smile on her face, and it’s infectious. In fact, she could just walk on stage and be silent for an hour and you’d still leave with a grin. Thankfully, she will also tell some heartfelt personal stories in that time that will engage you deeply and have you exiting the theatre believing you just met your soul mate.
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7
It’s always great to try something a little different, so give some erotic fan fiction a go. It’s hilarious, it’s sexy and has more vagina metaphors than any other show on offer and after all, isn’t that what we are all seeking in life? Plus it’s produced by the team at Giant Dwarf, a venue you should definitely get behind so that great comedy continues in Sydney week in, week out.
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6
We picked Steen in our top ten last year and he thoroughly deserves his spot on our list again. In the past year he has gained international fame, having been nominated for the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Best Newcomer award before returning home with his brand new show and getting nominated for MICF’s Barry Award. He’s likely to take out another Sydney Comedy Festival award to go with his 2013 Best Newcomer trophy, so make sure you catch him before he’s crushed by silverware.
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5
Well that’s a title, isn’t it? Pay your money for an hour of songs and stories that will be wonderfully weird with a hint of delicious darkness. Gen Fricker’s fresh off supporting superstar Reggie Watts on his recent national tour, so get in now so you can say you knew her way back when.
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4
Michael Hing returns to the Sydney Comedy Festival with arguably the greatest pun title of the season. His show itself promises to be filled with terrific content too, for he’s one of the best storytellers on the Australian scene. By the end of the evening, you’ll realise you not only laughed a lot but learned a lot too, and that is a rare gift.
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3
“Your word is ticket.”
“Can you use it in a sentence?”
“Get a ticket to this show, now!”
This isn’t your average night of comedy and it certainly isn’t your average spelling bee. I mean sure, words are given to the contestants and they have to spell them correctly, but are all the words real? Probably not. Can they even be used in a sentence? We’re guessing no, but there’s sure to be comical consequences aplenty for any incorrect answers. Michael Hing, Alex Lee and Patrick Byrnes are your gamemasters for the evening.
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2
We know exactly what we are talking about when it comes to Ronny Chieng; he’s brilliant, and we’re not the only ones who think so. He won best show at last year’s Sydney Comedy Festival, the Director’s Award at the 2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and supported Dave Chappelle, one of the biggest names in the business, on his tour of Australia. He’s even been nominated for Cleo Bachelor of the Year. So do yourself a favour and buy a ticket to find out why he deserves every one of these accolades.
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1
That’s right folks, one half of The Mighty Boosh and the Goth Detectives is bringing his unique brand of offbeat humour to the harbour city for four evenings. If you’ve seen anything involving this British mastermind, then you know what to expect: the unexpected. With a marvellous mix of stand-up and sketch, plus the most creative wardrobe you’ll ever see, you’ll want to make sure you spend an evening with Noel. Fancy dress is optional, and who knows, maybe you’ll even get to singalong to the ‘Soup Song’. Miso! Miso! Oriental prince in the land of soup.
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