Review By Tatum Stafford
Tom Gleeson is one of Australia’s most iconic comedians, show hosts and TV personalities, so it was a thrill to see him doing what he does best in his new stand-up show ‘Lighten Up’.
From the minute he strolled on stage, Tom had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. As he lives in the quaint country town of Romsey in Victoria, he had a series of humorous observations and comments about the recent Australian bushfires that had us in stitches. His unique brand of larrikinism and irreverent humour was a refreshing contrast to the saddening news we’re all so familiar with due to the tragic fires.
He continued to share many funny anecdotes – a favourite of mine involving a funny interaction about gaslighting – and then opened up the floor for people to yell out anything they believed to be untrue about his show thus far. After a few funny call-outs, someone insisted he hadn’t received the Gold Logie in 2019, to which Tom responded with a grin; pulling it into a spotlight from the side of the stage.
Much to the audience’s delight, the Logie was passed throughout the orchestra section to allow everyone to get a closer look at it. Tom had many funny comments about his notorious campaign and speech during last year’s Logie race, which the crowd lapped up. Jabs at fellow nominees, including Amanda Keller, made it all the more hilarious as we heard the backstory of this memorable win.
A hush-hush campaign for the 2020 Logies race was revealed to us – and let’s just say, we’ll all be waiting in anticipation to see a certain picture pop up on Tom’s social media once this year’s voting commences. I can’t share much more than that!
This hour of non-stop laughs was a fantastic example of the calibre of comedic acts that the Perth Fringe Festival attracts. In a much larger venue than other comedians, it may seem like an antithesis to the quirky, niche events that Fringe usually prioritises, but it’s a guaranteed night of fun, frivolity and laugh-out-loud moments.
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