By Alberto Macchione
Local comedian Anthony Locascio hosted a unique comedy showcase at Teatro in the Italian Forum in Sydney’s inner western suburb of Leichardt. The program, all spoken in English featured comedians of Italian heritage each of whom, like Locascio, came from mixed backgrounds.
As it was a stand up comedy show in the pure sense, with all the barbs and hooks associated with hardcore comedy, Locascio, rightly, addressed the audience from the moment he got on stage. He spoke of the many comedians in the country who are of Italian heritage who come from mixed upbringings and announced that “I’m one of these people, and it’s awesome to be able to bring the community together and showcase these wonderful talents. The tether is that we all come from Italian family, but it’s like, what you would get if you went to a comedy club where you just see different people of different demographics and age groups and interests of different things, and they talk about different stuff. Some of them might be a bit disgusting. Some might be a bit crude. The point is that we have a showcase of some of the best comedic talents in the country.”
With many audience members not being accustomed to the comedy circuit, or never having attended a comedy show, Locascio had to wrestle with the audience banter. With latecomers continuously streaming through the doors, the host kept reaffirming the usually unsaid rule that the audience not backtalk to the comics as they deliver their performances.
Before announcing the first act Locascio went on to invite the audience to “sit back and relax and enjoy yourselves.” Locascio announced Elliot EJ Rovedi first, whose unique style and anecdotes as an Indigenous Australian and Italian left an indelible mark on the audience. The next performer, Chloe Maddren blew away all the boundaries and put in an incredible performance that can only be described as shock and awe.
JenCarnovale’s polished musings warmed the audience up, while Jamal Abdul blew the roof off with a performance that was described as an audience favourite by many attendees after the show. Headliner Simon Taylor was a brilliant headline and won the audience with his musings about being a millennial and becoming a father.
Locascio closed the show insinuating that he may do another one, having thanked the audience for “taking a chance” by attending. True comedy fans can only hope that this is just the beginning. One lady hadn’t been out in many years due to difficult circumstances and said that she had never laughed so hard. As American humorist Emma Bombeck once said, “He who laughs…lasts”
