COMEDY: As the self-confessed “filth-monger” of the line-up, young comic Rhys Nicholson is sure to crack up his Bunbury audience when the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow rolls into the city next month.
This show is not one for the kids with no topics off the table, so if you’re easily offended it may be a better idea to stay home with a cup of tea and a jigsaw puzzle.
Chatting to entertainment in the lead-up to the regional tour, the Newcastle boy took us back to where it all began.
“It all started inside the womb – I was absolutely hilarious while I was in my mother’s tummy,” Nicholson said.
“There’s two categories of comedian – those that kind of fell into it when their mate signed them up for an open mic night and those that were always obsessed with comedy and always knew they were going to do it.
“I was from the second category – I would always go to the roadshow when it came to my hometown, I didn’t bother going to uni, just worked a sh**ty retail job until I could afford to move to Sydney and get started.
“For two years I was really bad at it, but now I’m the best comedian in the whole wide world so that’s good.”
A 2009 RAW Comedy finalist and winner of the 2012 Time Out Award for Best Newcomer at the Sydney Comedy Festival, this guy has supported the likes of Greg Fleet, Jim Jeffries, Steve Hughes and Wil Anderson.
Nicholson is thrilled to be on the road with the popular show which always attracts a sell-out audience at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre.
“I love touring, as a comedian you have very little structure in your life so it’s kind of nice to have someone telling you what to do each day,” he said.
You can expect a bit of a social commentary from Nicholson interspersed with some dirty anecdotes.
“I’m not a political comedian but I try to be socially conscious – I may make a few references to our Prime Minister,” he said.
“I’m the filth-monger of the group – so hopefully Bunbury likes a bit of filth otherwise it might get awkward.”
And the comics will do a bit of homework on the area to work in some digs at our beloved city.
“We always throw a bit of local humour in there – I’ve found Australians love having the p**s taken out of them, when you go overseas and make fun of people they don’t quite know what to do with it but Australians love it,” Nicholson said.
The roadshow will hit the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on May 29 and 30.
Visit bunburyentertainment.com for tickets and information.
