Sydney Comedy Festival Must-See Shows

20 April 2017 | 2:05 pm | Staff Writer

Good news people, Sydney Comedy Festival is right around the corner. YAY! But with more comedians than you can shake a microphone stand at, making those oh so important choices on what to catch is no easy task.

But don’t you worry, comedy lovers, The Music has got your back. Here are some of the must-see stand-ups heading to a stage near you very soon.

Jared Jekyll: Young, Dum & Full Of Pun

This comedy alchemist is the mad genius of mash-ups. Take a glug of zinging stand-up, add a liberal sprinkling of beatboxing hip hop, and season with a generous portion of absurdity, and voila! You’ve got a side-splitting evening of hilarious word play and urban-infused comedy as Jekyll spits some rhymes and serves up some puns.

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18, 20 & 21 May, Factory Theatre

Yianni Agisilaou: The Un-Pinchable Pink Pen

This is a man’s world, but it would be nothing without a woman or girl. Those double standards, tired stereotypes and entrenched expectations of clichéd gender norms come under fire in this brilliantly funny ode of equality. It also answers that most pressing of questions: would a man pinch a pen from a co-worker if it was pink?

3 – 7 May, Factory Theatre

Greta Lee Jackson: Red Flag

We all make wrong choices now and then, but Greta Lee Jackson has elevated bad decision making to an art form. This Kiwi comic is screwing up so you don’t have to - let her cautionary tale be a lesson to us all, and one we can have a bloody good laugh at to boot. Expect an extreme night of anarchic hilarity and TMI overload.

17 & 19 May, Enmore Theatre

Akmal: Transparent

Egyptian-Australian comedian Akmal Saleh is nothing if not modest, describing his latest routine as “the funniest show ever in the history of comedy.” Paramedics will be on hand, we’re assured, to tend to those punters literally dying from laughter. Come at your own risk: you have been warned!

19 May, Enmore Theatre

Jimeoin: Renonsense Man

Let’s face it, the world is fucked, and for most, being reminded of that fact when they head out in search of a few laughs at a stand-up gig is definitely not appreciated. Fortunately, Irish comic Jimeoin isn’t touching any of that bad juju. Prepare for wall-to-wall laughs in this solid hour of stand-up brilliance from one of the quickest wits in the biz.

5 — 6, Various

Jacques Barrett: Jacques Barrett Is Particularly Good At This

It’s tough being talented. Join Jacques as he navigates the trials and tribulations of tall-poppy syndrome and laments the pitfalls of being too damn awesome. This veteran of the Aussie comedy scene has been putting in the hard yards for almost a decade, and now flying high off the back of an international tour, he’s got every right to declare: “I’m great!”

17 – 21 May, Factory Theatre