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THE LAUGH RESORT A world of laughs this Fringe World


Perth’s longest running comedy club, The Laugh Resort is bringing a world of laughs to its home at The Shoe Bar & Cafe in Yagan Square this Fringe World. The program is comprised of a massive 20 shows over 23 days featuring no less than 60 top homegrown and visiting guest comedians for three to five shows a night, five nights a week from Wednesday, January 13 to Sunday, February 14.

The highlights include some global comedy stars who have been “trapped” in Australia since last Fringe World who will reprise or premiere hit shows, including UK festival favourite and Fringe World 2020 Weekly Award Winner Gordon Southern, whose new show Nisolation is about accidentally moving to paradise (aka Adelaide). “I’d always wanted to emigrate here; looks like I accidentally did it a bit earlier than anticipated!” said Southern.

Gordon Southern
Gordon Southern

One of Japan’s quickest rising comedy export Takashi “Waka” Wakasugi called Perth home in 2020. He’s set to give us an encore this Fringe of last year’s sold out Farm Backpacker (Subclass 417) – his tale of turning an extended holiday visa into a successful career performing comedy in his second language.

These acts lead an all-star program of WA’s freshest and finest, the quality handpicked stars of today and tomorrow Perth audiences expect from the Club that’s given rise to some of Australia’s biggest comedy names.

Two shows set to have premiered last Melbourne Comedy Festival will now be seen first in WA: the long-awaited debut hour from Comics’ Choice 2019 and (joint winner) WA Comedian of the Year 2020 Andrew Wolfe: Circling the Drain – the stockbroker turned comedian’s rocket-fueled lament on life, described as “comedy if the Wolfe of Wall Street did it.”

Andrew Wolfe
Andrew Wolfe

The second is Victorian “refugee” Scott Limbrick, who also called Perth home in 2020, debuting his one-man sketch show and its cast of surreal cinema-loving characters in The Last Blockbuster on Earth, having previously written comedy for BBC, ABC, SBS, and performing on Comedy Central UK. “I’d never have believed my first trip to Perth would result in living with my partner’s family!” said Limbrick. “Luckily, they’re fans of all the characters I’ve brought into their house but we all could not be more ready to see them unleashed on a real audience.”

Renowned circus and street performer Ross Vegas makes a long-awaited return to the comedy club stage debuting a live-looped hip-hop song cycle that’s been years in the making, mixing beatbox and standup with rhymes about life, love and the universe.

Fringe’s top comedians of the female persuasion will once again be spotlighted in the Club’s increasingly popular 3rd annual Galentine’s Day Gala, hosted by Perth’s favourite Canadian Tor Snyder, celebrating gal pals on Valentine’s Day Eve, Saturday, February 13.

Aliisa Marsh

Other shows back by demand include intersex and body positivity advocate Alissia Marsh’s King of the Lesbians; the unique and addictive cult-hit interactive retro video game-inspired Sonny Yang’s Incredibly Stupid Adventure Game (now 20% bigger); and South Australia’s globally acclaimed storytelling comedian Jon Bennett: Playing with Men – about a young football career’s tragic end.

After a few years festival absence, hearing-impaired comedian Brad Hearne returns with the new Deafinitive, finding funny in life on the quiet side (Auslan interpreted on Sunday, January 17 and Sunday, January 24); and the towering red-lipped commander of the perfectly-timed barb, Ayden Doherty (formerly Tomas Ford’s hype man), debuting the black comedy Birthday Party for a Dead Friend on surviving life’s mental health hazards.

Stephen Lee

Survival and mental health themes also feature in the homecoming show for Stephen Lee, living in his family home (with all its ghosts) after 20 years over east, resulting in a new hour of his trademark un-PC comedy stylings: The George Pell Tabernacle Choir Sing the Hims.

Rising stars from Gen Zs to boomers will be showcased in ensemble shows The Heckle, Punchline Pimps, Old Tarts & Farts (featuring possibly the fest’s oldest standup Leonie Clarke, aka “Gran in a Van”) and Toxic Millenniality – the freshest comics aged 20s-30s, proving there’s more to life than avocados and Instagram.

Old Tarts & Farts

Exmouth’s funniest export, WA Raw Comedy Winner Squirly, one of the most rural acts in Australia, brings his new hour of yarns, Heaps Aussie. Story lovers also won’t want to miss Sean Conway and friends’ The Goat King Writers Club LIVE – the “loosest storytelling podcast in the land” on Sundays, for the first time with an audience, plus special guests.

“What I love about our program, which every year heroes over 50% WA acts, is that our homegrown talent is among the best in the country and the world; the types of humour on offer are so diverse; and you’ll discover comics who, regardless of fame or not, may well become your new faves,” said Club Manager Di Star.

The Laugh Resort at The Shoe Bar & Cafe in Yagan Square

“Four shows in our 2020 program were Fringe World Award winning, giving you pretty good odds you’ll find something of quality to tickle your tastes. If you love to laugh but aren’t sure which comedy to choose, 9 at 9 is a different lineup of the fest’s top homegrown and visiting comics each Wednesday (Auslan interpreted on Wednesday, February 3) and you never know which stars may drop in!”

With different shows back-to-back Wed-Sun of each week, including weekend matinees and late shows Friday and Saturday nights; two bars, a restaurant, café, show-goer discounts; cool air-con; clean facilities; socially-distanced cabaret seating; and disability accessible, The Laugh Resort is an unbeatable destination for live comedy this Fringe World.

The Laugh Resort at The Shoe Bar & Cafe have announced their comedy program for Fringe World 2021. For more information and to buy tickets, head to fringeworld.com.au

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