GLEESON’S COMEDY JOY

Tom Gleeson’s Joy is 60 minutes of pure witty intelligence. Starting his show with observational humour about the Gold Coast’s high-rise buildings on the beach, Gleeson had the audience in the palm of his hands from the moment he stepped on the stage at the Spiegeltent for the Gold Coast 2019 Bleach Festival.

Gleeson’s comedy is intelligent. His show starts with a familiar storytelling format − reflections about being in his mid-forties, having red hair and fair skin, and what it’s like to sift through your child’s excrement after they’ve swallowed a two-dollar coin. With 20 years of comedy experience under his belt, Gleeson’s routine is smooth sailing.

However, at the end of the show, Gleeson invites the audience to tell him what parts they think are made up. As he unpacks the truths and lies, he tells the reasons behind the choices he made for his stories. It’s a lesson in comedy development, and possibly the best ending for a comedy act to have graced Australian stages.

While Joy may have left Queensland for now, you can still enjoy Gleeson on the ABC’s The Weekly.