The 15th Annual Sydney Comedy Festival – Gala Event
Opera House
Sydney, Australia
April 24, 2019
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Comedy and laughter are widely perceived to be a valve and pressure release – an antidote to the grimness the world throws at you daily. To administer the comedic medicine, Sydney holds an annual four-week long extravaganza that usually incarnates between April and May with a wide array of international and national performers ranging from mainstream crowd favourite to emerging talent holding court in venues small and big all over the town.
Tonight’s gala event was not meant to be the non-plus-ultra but to give an idea and a taste of the variety of this year’s festival line-up: About fifteen acts unleashed their quips and contributed to a colourful potpourri with some acts better than others, e.g. Des Bishop’s feminist performance was much classier than other comedians relying on mundane sleaziness and clichés to elicit laughter. Sex as the lowest common denominator in times where politics and specifically religion are better left untouched.
Physical comedy can be hit and miss yet the trio going by the name of Foil, Arms and Hog performed an act whose sketches were delightful and met with unbridled laughter.
More off kilter comedians like Tom Allen, Mark Forward, the physical feats of Nikki Britton and most prominently Phil Wang convinced with thoughtful bits that left the audience gasping for more and no doubt will materialize in big parts of the audience tonight attending their respective performances as well.
Hosted by engaging master of ceremonies Joe Lycett, the evening was overall testament to the well curated quality affair the Sydney Comedy Festival has become known for and provided a forum for comedians from the old world, the US, terra australis as well as Asia.
Having perused the program of this year’s program, we already had our eyes set and marked our calendars for quite a few of the shows of the year’s festival and tonight added quite a few to the list.
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photo provided by Ben Sanford
