Reviewed at the Enmore Theatre on Monday April 20
The 2015 Sydney Comedy Festival kicked off in Newtown on Monday with the annual Cracker Night. Some of the finest acts that the festival has to offer descended upon the Enmore Theatre stage, offering a constant stream of laughter.
The night was hosted by triple j’s Matt Okine, who entertained the crowd with tales of when he was “povo” and some well appreciated Street Fighter references.
Australian comedy royalty such as Jimeoin (an adopted Aussie these days), The Umbilical Brothers and Sammy J & Randy delivered unsurprisingly brilliant spots. The latter were particularly noteworthy – their unique blend of puppetry, music and wonderfully filthy lyrics always being a crowd-pleaser.
But despite the success of the big name-guests, the real winners of the night were the local up-and-comers. It was here that we saw that the next generation of Australian comedians is a truly promising one.
Both Harley Breen and Luke Heggie hilariously explored the woes of modern parenting with stories of toilet training and the good old days of flogging children. Joel Creasey delighted with anecdotes about accidental road trips through military training grounds, his issues with mall massage chairs and the concept of a gay shoe bomber. Meanwhile, Tien Tran revealed the only word that can offend a white male and musician Gen Fricker talked about her racial ambiguity and sang about being ruined for white guys.
The internationals also brought a strong game. Canadian Mike Wilmot explained how racism can be cured with sandwiches, whilst Luisa Omielan pushed the envelope with her comedic examination of post-one night stand behavior. Lastly, my new personal hero Jen Kirkman talked about being childless by choice and making fun of her ‘hover mum’ friends.
Once again, the gala was all killer and no filler, the audience leaving thoroughly entertained. My top picks are definitely Heggie, Creasey and Kirkman, and I can’t wait to see what their full sets have to offer.
5/5 stars
