Comedian, Dave Hughes presents an interesting conundrum wrapped up in a larrikin drawl. He’s so famous we know him simply as “Hughesy.” This comic is also our favourite agony uncle with his own TV show, “Hughesy We Have a Problem.” He’s so down-to-earth and self-deprecating, that we’d love to drink with him (even though he’s several decades sober). This back-slapping and consistent everyman entertained the masses with his latest comedy show, “Hairy.”
At 48 years old, Hughesy takes a laid-back approach to most things. This includes his unruly hair and lax appearance and carries through to his parenting and pet-caring styles. It’s obvious he has a lot of love and warmth for those important things in his life like his: wife, kids, pets and friends. They all express and reciprocate this affection by roasting each other. His daughters poke fun at his man boobs and physique, even though he remembers when they had messy accidents in the bath. They all get a look-in at this show.
Hughesy was a charming storyteller drawing on things like work, domesticity and holidays for the bulk of the proceedings. But in addition to this, he also had some inspired moments when he went off-script. Some cheeky asides with latecomers saw this king of the Bogans keeping things light. He also broke up some of his daily exasperations with some good riffs about the impending federal election.
There are times in this show when Hughes is so relaxed. Along with his meandering drawl, he could almost be vertical. It takes a veteran professional to make this comedy look so effortless. But the fact is he nails it with his inclusive blend of accessible, working-class humour. One joke that got big laughs was his playing a kind of reverse scratchie whilst on trams. This meant failing to tap on to save four bucks but having the potential to lose one hundred.
If you like observational and personal jokes filled with dry anecdotes and sarcastic stories, then Hughes is your man. Along with his merry bunch of important life characters, he is guaranteed to make you stop and giggle at those funny and strange everyday moments. In short, it’s fun and playful, but never hairy.
-Natalie
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Natalie Salvo is a foodie and writer from Sydney. You can find her digging in vinyl crates at good record stores. See more of her work here.
The Sydney Comedy Festival runs until 19 May and Hughesy plays the Concourse in Chatswood tonight, 7.00pm (60mins). Buy tickets now.
