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Comedy
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What happens to the Queen’s Birthday holiday when we no longer have a queen?
Maybe that’s the moment to reimagine the long-weekend exodus that traps so many of us in traffic jams.
- by Helen Pitt
Latest
Penn and Teller shipped their popular magic show to Australia. Then it disappeared
They are the longest-running headliners in Las Vegas history and have performed for almost 50 years, but the magicians “barely managed to get along” at first.
- by Sarah-Jane Collins
Why you should vote 1 against political satire
Modern satire is often just someone in a suit shouting ... and changing no one’s mind.
- by Demi Lardner
Death threats forced Sandi Toksvig into hiding. Now strangers hug her in the shops
It’s hard to believe now, but the QI host once feared for her family’s safety and was told her career was over after being publicly outed by a UK tabloid.
- by Stephanie Bunbury
Gen Fricker on guilt-free reality television and avoiding the news
“I was a chronic doom scroller during the early days of the pandemic, and I realised quickly I needed to control the dosage existential dread I was taking in.”
- by Osman Faruqi
‘High watermark of comedy’: One of the funniest shows of the festival
Michelle Braiser has hit comedy gold again with her latest show.
- by Daniel Herborn
Known for her silly comedy, YouTuber Bec Hill reveals her spooky side
The quirky comedian’s latest entry in her children’s book series Horror Heights is all about strange and spooky goings-on.
- by Daniel Herborn
Rhys Nicholson reigns supreme at Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Judges deemed Nicholson performed the most outstanding show of the festival, with the awards often catapulting the careers of those who win.
- by Tyson Wray
★★★★
Stand-up comedy
Aunty Donna’s crude gags and world-class lunacy are well worth the wait
It’s been two years since the sketch comedy trio brought their absurdist and juvenile brand of humour to Sydney.
- by Daniel Herborn
Janty Blair is a traditional comedian and officially Deadly Funny
This year’s Deadly Funny National Grand Final at MICF featured cheeky, loud and proud First Nations comedians.
- by Tyson Wray and Patrick Horan
The laughs keep coming: Our reviewers on comedy festival hits and best jokes
Newcomer Grace Jarvis among the up-and-coming stars who shone at Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
- by Patrick Horan, Tyson Wray, Donna Demaio, Mikey Cahill and John Bailey