Stand-up comedy
Did you hear the one about Gary? Stand up makes office return more fun
Employers are using all kinds of incentives to encourage workers back into the office, including stand-up comedy.
- by Julie Power
Latest
★★★★
What’s on
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
★★★★★
MICF
Remember stomach muscles? Five stars to the comedian who wrecked them
This wrap of Comedy Festival reviews includes a perfect score for a comedian who took on incels, graphic designers and Bratz Dolls.
In comedy newbies vs comedy veterans, youngsters win (by half a star)
This wrap of reviews from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival kicks off with its rising stars.
- by Age reviewers
Rhys Nicholson on love, Ru Paul and being dumped by I’m A Celebrity
Performing alongside Ru Paul, a book deal and his Netflix special have taken the edge off the pandemic for Rhys Nicholson.
- by Kerrie O'Brien
So much for cancel culture: The blowback to Louis C.K.’s Grammy win
The decision to award the disgraced comedian a Grammy on Monday raises questions about the effectiveness of so-called cancel culture.
- by Karl Quinn
They ‘blew up’ online – but can they get laughs on a real life stage?
Social media is proving a useful way for comedians to showcase – and monetise – their talent. But they still feel the urge to hear real-time, analogue laughs.
- by Mikey Cahill
‘It’s about hope’: comedians turn mental health woes into comedy gold
Amanda Jane Pritchard is among several comedians this Comedy Festival making her mental health a key to her stand-up routine, rather than something to hide.
- by Nick Miller
Heard the one about the climate apocalypse? How to joke about the end of the world
When Jordan Barr was writing her comedy festival show on her existential dread and climate anxiety, she worried she’d make her audience “feel s--t”.
- by Carla Jaeger and Nick Miller
★★★★
MICF
Cringe or cry laughing: 10 hits and misses from the Melbourne comedy festival
In this grab bag of reviews from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, debutant Grace Jarvis was a standout.
- by Tyson Wray, Patrick Horan, John Bailey and Carla Jaeger
‘You don’t do just easy things’: The rise and rise of comedian Aaron Chen
Despite the pandemic snatching almost two years of work away from live performers across music, theatre, comedy and the arts, the 26-year-old’s career has never been better.
- by Louise Rugendyke