Adelaide Fringe

Fringe Review: Tom Gleeson: Cheer Up

Tom Gleeson takes us deep into his domestic, middle-class world, covering topics from the state of Australian politics to the annoyance of swooping magpies, and much, much more.

Presented by Token Events
Reviewed 2 March 2017

Tom Gleeson takes us deep into his domestic, middle-class world, covering topics from the state of Australian politics and the annoyance of swooping magpies, to compartmentalising the idea of masturbating when falling out of a plane.

It’s easy to forget that comedians do actually age and Cheer Up is definitely a slap-in-the-face reminder of this as much of the show is spent listening to the domestic issues in Gleeson’s every day, middle-aged life. Wives that talk with mouthfuls of food, dryers that don’t actually dry, teachers that think your children are dumb, how crap the new Wiggles are – Gleeson covers it all.

One of the highlights of the show is Gleeson’s impression of his young son, who he hilariously notes has the character of an old man. We all know Gleeson is one of comedy’s king impressionists and his impersonation of his young son is an absolute beauty, leaving the audience in tears of laughter at multiple points throughout the show.

Gleeson also doesn’t shy away from politics, taking on big names like Malcolm Turnbull with a realistic humour that a majority of us can relate to. Pauline Hanson also cops Gleeson’s razor-tongue over the morals of the in-famous One Nation Party, and their idea of a ‘Muslim-ban’ being implemented in Australia (don’t worry – Gleeson sorts her out!)

As many interstate (and some local) comedians do, Gleeson hilariously takes the piss out of Adelaide, from our state-wide blackout and s***ty beer, to our upper-class Bogans who drink fine, locally-made wine. He does this in a humorous way that us Adelaideans can enjoy, rather than feel attacked by (though I don’t think he’s as nice about us when touring other states).

Gleeson ends the show with a humorous Q&A where he encourages you to call bulls**t on everything he has mentioned over the night which can lead to an interesting end to the show if you are part of a brave audience.

Overall it’s a fun night of laughter with what appears to be our new ‘Domestic Goddess’ – the ever-enthusiastic, Tom Gleeson.

Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Twitter: @Georgie_xox

Rating out of 5: 3.5

Venue: The Factory at The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Rundle Park, Adelaide
Season:  3 – 5 March
Duration:  60 mins
Tickets:  $35 – $45
Bookings:  https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/tom-gleeson-cheer-up

 

More News

To Top