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Brisbane Comedy Festival 2021: Our top picks
After the year that was, it’s pretty clear that what we all need is a good laugh. That’s why we’re extra excitement to that Brisbane Comedy Festival 2021 is here to deliver.
This year’s event is bursting at the seams to host a hand-picked selection of the funniest folk in the country and with a program this jam-packed with goodies, we’re here to help you sort your schedule out. Here are our top picks.
Anne Edmonds & Lloyd Langford – Business With Pleasure
The Tivoli | Saturday 17 July
What’s better than one comedy favourite, we hear you asking. Well, it’s two of course. And after Anne Edmonds and Lloyd Langford spent most of 2020 locked down together, you bet they’ve got some top notch laughs to share.
There’ll be jokes, stories, gossip and quite possibly the thrilling spectacle of the onstage breakdown of their relationship. So, truly a night to remember.
You might know Anne for her uncompromising, fearless and hilarious stand-up and her knack for making people cry from laughter.
Lloyd is making his mark in Australia, becoming a fan favourite on Have You Been Paying Attention?.
Dave Thornton – Novel Problems
The Tivoli | Friday 30 July & Saturday 31 July
Dave Thornton needs an audience, and after the year that was we all need some laughs – the way he sees it, it’s a win/win.
He has built a reputation for his honest, engaging, whip-smart and damn funny comedy, so expect all the good stuff only one of Australia’s favourite comedians can deliver as he tries to dissect 2020.
You know him from your radio, The Project, Just For Laughs and more – now see him where he does his best work, on stage.
Fiona O’Loughlin – The Unreliable Witness
The Tivoli | Saturday 17 July & Sunday 18 July
Fiona O’Loughlin has always known the power of a great story and a great joke to show us the truth about ourselves and those around us – and she was been winning audiences over for years with her honest and open comedy.
Now, her new book Truths from an Unreliable Witness is the basis for her new, unforgettable show. In sharing her story, Fiona shows that there is always the promise of better days.
Geraldine Hickey – LIVE
The Tivoli | Saturday 31 July
A staple of the Australian comedy scene, Geraldine Hickey’s 2021 is off to a flying start. As well as taking home the coveted comedians’ choice Piece of Wood Award at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, her show Things Are Going Well also received a nomination for most outstanding show.
In short, you need to lock in a night with Hickey’s smart, deadpan, and side-splittingly funny comedy.
Karen From Finance – Out Of Office
The Tivoli |Thursday 29 July – Saturday 31 July
Beloved Australian drag queen Karen From Finance presents her debut one woman show Out of Office, which features all of her trademark high-camp and hilarious mashups, plus all the tomfoolery you can poke a presentation pointer at.
The show was awarded both the Comedy Award and The West Australian Critic’s Choice Award at Perth’s Fringe World Festival in January 2020, and with her currently tearing it up on Drag Race Down Under we can only expect the campest of nights.
One Trick Pony Club
The Tivoli | Friday 30 July
One Trick Pony Club will take you on a wild ride of late-night variety show entertainment at a very special Brisbane Comedy Festival showcase.
More than your average evening affair, One Trick Pony Club transports you to a spontaneously wild, weird, ridiculous, confetti-filled wonderland, showcasing a unique variety of some of our very finest local artists, performing their wildest tricks!
Audiences get to strap in, dress up, sing loud and dance interpretively. Does it get more fabulous?
Brisbane Comedy Festival 2021 Opening Night Gala
Fortitude Music Hall | Friday 16 July
Looking for a smorgasboard of comedy gold? Look no further than the Brisbane Comedy Festival Opening Gala.
Hosted by the hilarious Tommy Little, the spectacular lineup promises to deliver two hours of the best comedians Brisbane Comedy Festival can serve up.
Peter Helliar – Loopy
The Tivoli | Friday 23 July
His quick wit and self-deprecating humour has won Peter Helliar fans around the globe, now, inspired by a recent conversation with a stranger on a train – “everything you believe is true and the rest is bullshit… and vice versa” – his new show Loopy is here.
Randy Feltface – Purple Privilege
The Tivoli | Sunday 8 August
Much like all of the best superhero films, we love an origin story and now it is time for international sensation Randy Feltface to give us his.
In Purple Privilege, everyone’s favourite felt-faced comedian uncovers his most disastrous career moments and reveals how growing up purple, while deconstructing inherited belief systems, is funnier than it sounds.
Randy’s live show is a high-energy existential crisis, full of biting observations, razor sharp crowd work and rapid arm movements.
Rosie Waterland – Kid Chameleon
The Tivoli | Friday 6 August & Saturday 7 August
Born while her parents were on the run from drug dealers, Rosie Waterland spent her childhood shapeshifting, adjusting and course-correcting based on the scenario. When your world keeps changing, you kind of have no choice but to keep changing with it.
A household name since her hilarious Bachelor recaps became essential pop culture reading, and an award-winning podcaster for her blockbusters Mum Says My Memoir Is A Lie and more recently, Just the Gist – don’t miss one of Australia’s most prolific, honest, endearingly funny talents live on stage.
Sunday Roast
The Tivoli | Sunday 25 July
The table is set for good food and big laughs.
A choice line up of comedians from the Brisbane Comedy Festival will crack their best jokes, as The Tiv serve up a tasty two-course meal and a drink on arrival.
The Naked Magicians – Home-Coming Tour
The Tivoli | Thursday 5 August – Sunday 8 August
With a Las Vegas residency, a season on London’s West End, and more than 250 cities under their belts, The Naked Magicians are undoubtedly the world’s funniest and naughtiest magic show.
Wearing nothing but a top hat and a smile, this hilarious duo are ready to deliver world-class magic and non-stop laughs to Brisbane audiences.
Good magicians don’t need sleeves and great magicians don’t need pants – that’s what The Naked Magicians are promising.
The Brisbane Comedy Festival 2021 will delight audiences from Friday 16 July until Sunday 8 August. Tickets to all these shows are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au.
