The Sydney Comedy Festival turns 18 this year and is officially an “adult” in comedy terms, according to one Jerry Seinfeld. So no surprises that the Enmore Theatre’s all-star gala included lots of grownup themes and occasional coarse language.
MC Harley Breen helmed what was a great taster of a show featuring 15 other local and international acts that will appear at this year’s festival. Breen brought his blend of ocker humour to the gig while Nick Cody made quips about Aussie bogans.
Fiona O’Loughlin was fresh from the I’m A Celeb jungle with funny anecdotes about drinking and motherhood. Rhys Nicholson was the most dapper darling with his dry sense of humour and jibes at adult dinner parties and drugs.
Mad Irishman, Jason Byrne did a rare stand-up slot poking fun at our cricket team, redheads and zoos. Des Bishop and Ian Bagg both poked fun at the differences between men and women and Bagg questioned why he couldn’t put peanut butter in the fridge.
Representing the UK were Jamali Maddix and Dane Baptiste. They were here to talk about sex, baby. New Zealand’s Guy Montgomery, meanwhile, mentioned a different sort of physical activity: Usain Bolt’s running.
Luke Heggie toyed with our expectations with a long, pretend conversation between a comedian and a bloke in a bar. John Hastings also made gags about people’s beliefs, likening his Canadian heritage to the equivalent of ordering a Coke in a restaurant and what happens when you get a Pepsi instead.
Demi Lardner made cheeky gags about her father’s Google history and selfie-obsessed idiots. Rose Matafeo also joked about her family but in her slot delivered Christmas bon-bon jokes that were in the vein of a confrontational Seinfeld Festivus.
Other comics like Steen Raskopoulos and Nikki Britton performed physical gags like the former’s Bad Boy of Yoga and the latter’s jokes about how women’s dancing changes with age.
The Sydney Comedy Festival Gala was a fun-filled night featuring some of the best of the fest. We can highly recommend getting out to a show and supporting the Festival’s coming-of-age. It should be quite the party!
– Natalie
Natalie Salvo is a foodie and writer from Sydney. You can find her digging in vinyl crates at good record stores or at her websites:www.nataliesalvo.wordpress.com and www.myshitdate.com
The 18th Sydney Comedy Festival runs from now until 20 May 2018. For more information visit: www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au.
Read our guide to the top shows, and all of our 2018 Sydney Comedy Festival coverage.
