Perth Comedy Festival Gala 2022 @ Regal Theatre
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Let’s have a round of applause as we welcome back the best comedy festival in the “People’s Republic of Perth” (as dubbed by Harley Breen). Melbourne stand-up comic and outstanding MC of the Perth Comedy Festival Gala, Harley Breen hit everything from public transport to parenting, and the ubiquitous COVID lockdown jokes in his opening act, setting the stage for what was a fantastic night of comedy at the Regal Theatre on Wednesday night.
Typically when attending stand-up comedy, some comedians will crack you up, while others might not be to your taste. Not so at the Perth Comedy Festival Gala. This remarkable line-up had the audience in fits of laughter from beginning to end.
After MC Harley warmed up the crowd with tales of Melbourne remerging from their cocoon, Chris Ryan rocked the crowd with original reflections on Audible, concentration issues, and she can now be credited with the new phrase “having a white whine.”
Daniel Muggleton and his killer mo’ got vulnerable with honest reflections on fertility, demonstrating great comedic skill to find the lighter side of that journey.
Emma Holland found light in lockdown projects, and shared her picture book creation Sammy the Snake, which was in sharp contrast to the cynicism of Luke Heggie who followed.
Then on walked Cameron James, who quietly plugged in a mint green guitar, and all of a sudden you knew the magic was about to happen. His original composition, dedicated to all the “average” sized men, had everyone in hysterics and should not be missed!
Harley Breen returned to start the second act with an eye-watering insight into Melbourne hipster life, water births and hippie in-laws.
Danielle Walker made gold from family photos and videos with impeccable timing, followed by a more brash Perth local Colin Ebsworth.
Kirsty Webeck embraced her identity with tales from awkward encounters and comparison with Seth Rogan, providing a refreshing insight into someone’s life who seems very content with who she is.
The very intense and young Sam Campbell was followed by Malaysia’s Dr Jason Leong with a hilarious routine on homeopathic pilots.
Ivan Aristeguieta rounded out the night with hilarious tales of applying for Australian citizenship, and a brilliant comparison of parenting to living in a dictatorship – Censorship. Bribery. Rebellion.
Possibly the biggest highlight of the night was MC Harley’s set, articulating all the screams of parents in lockdown, questioning who has time for sourdough when we are busy cramming to learn Japanese for tomorrow’s remote-school lesson. It was a cathartic set for many in the audience.
The Gala line-up was rounded off well with a quote from comedian Anthony Locascio, who after a very good set on his Italian/Greek heritage, encouraged everyone to “get out of the house and support local comedy.”
With the festival now underway and running until May 15, Perth audiences fortunately still have plenty of time to do just that!
MELISSA MANN
