By June Ramli
Sydney, May 18: After over a year of a self-imposed boycott, I finally attended my first stand up comedy show in Newtown, Sydney.
The jokes from Sydney comics had been so bad and lame in the past that I decided to avoid them altogether.
However, the Sydney Comedy Festival was in town, and I found myself at the Enmore Theatre tonight to see up-and-coming comic Freddie McManus.
I had never heard of Freddie McManus before tonight, but I decided to give it a go.
At around 7pm, I got ready and headed to Newtown via Uber to catch the show.
Arriving early, I had to wait out in the cold.
Newtown was bustling on a Saturday night, with most restaurants near the theater at full capacity. People were likely grabbing a quick bite before their respective shows.
One thing about the Sydney crowd is that they are very forgiving.
Even if the comic is subpar, they will still laugh.
Freddie McManus appeared nervous, noticeable by his mouth movements and occasional shivers.
It seemed he didn’t stick to his script.
The show, titled “Remind Me Later,” was supposed to be about procrastination, but I didn’t sense that theme throughout the 45-minute performance.
The set was relatively clean, with minimal sex jokes, which is uncommon for Sydney comics.
However, I was disappointed that he didn’t deliver the procrastination-themed set advertised in the media release.
As a website focused on employment, this topic would have resonated well with our readers.
Freddie joked about his glasses, roommates, Leonardo DiCaprio’s penchant for dating younger women, his family (with some gory and gothic details), and his newborn nephew in the UK.
However, nothing about procrastination was mentioned.
The performance didn’t seem entirely spontaneous, as he had a multimedia presentation before starting.
I didn’t find his jokes particularly funny, but that could be due to a cultural disconnect.
Growing up with Southeast Asian comics like Harith Iskander and Douglas Lim from Malaysia, and Kumar from Singapore, I am accustomed to a different style of humor.
Freddie’s humor might resonate more with a white audience, but it didn’t click with me.
Despite my personal experience, I acknowledge that being a comic is no easy feat.
Freddie has a lot of energy and genuinely tried to entertain the crowd.
He was also grateful that we attended.
While I didn’t enjoy his show, I recognize that comedy is subjective.
If you’re interested, Freddie’s next show is tomorrow (Sunday, May 19, at 7:10 PM).
Even though I didn’t enjoy it, you might find it more appealing.
In his set, Freddie mentioned he lives with three women in Newtown, and it seemed many in the audience were his friends.
While I might be a tough critic, others might find his humor more relatable.
If you’re curious, give Freddie a chance and decide for yourself.
Media & PR: editor@dailystraits.com. Copyright 2021–Present DailyStraits.com. All rights reserved.