Kehau Jackson
When you say that someone is the Grandmother of Comedy in South Australia, it’s the biggest compliment you can give.
That’s the title given lovingly and only half-jokingly by local comics to producer and comedian Kehau Jackson.
Numerous success stories pile in during Fringe time, with many overseas and interstate artists posing an exotic attraction, so it’s easy to overlook the home grown successes. One such quiet achiever is Kehau who has been quietly and steadily building The Maid hotel at 1 Magill Road, Stepney as a key Fringe venue with her usual style of care for the artists and their shows.
It all started in 2011 when, spotting the potential of the venue so close to town and The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Kehau hired ‘the Barn’ venue out in the car park and began attracting acts.
Being a native Hawaiian and a ‘transplanted’ Australian, Kehau’s showbiz background is eclectic. In Honolulu she supported major acts including Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Daryl Hall and John Oates, American stand-up comedy stars Steven Wright and Howie Mandel and Australian star Fiona O’Loughlin, as well as being a repeat guest at the Fringe Benefits International Comedy Gala for the Adelaide Fringe. She even did a stint supporting Jane Fonda during the movie star’s university tour in Hawaii!
Now she’s transferred that knowledge to put together one of the best venues and line-ups you will see this Fringe with a selection of shows to demonstrate the broad range of talent available both locally and beyond.
There’s scathing, sharp witted political commentary from SA local Jon Brooks in Shitegeist, while from interstate there’s the international star of Busting Out, Bev Killick. Fabian Clark is a Desperate House Husband, Maggie Wood is a Life Coach with a humorous take in The Joy Protocol, Georgie Carroll is the funniest nurse in SA in I’m Every Woman, and Venezuelan-Aussie Ivan Aristeguieta is Lost in Pronunciation.
Basically if you turn up at the Maid you can get a great Fringe of comedy all in one location, no matter your preference. Every act is an award-winner, including Kehau, and each act will expose you to different genres and ideas showcasing some of the best in comedy you’ll find at the Fringe and making you laugh while changing perceptions, exposing audiences to new ideas and exploring different genres.
Kehau says it’s a real treat to hand pick a line-up that will please the audience.
“It’s a bit like picking out the best of foods for a dinner party you’ve invited friends to,” she says.
“When the door is closed, the lights go down and the laughs start coming, that sense of satisfaction is pretty difficult to beat!”
View the complete line up of comedians performing at The Maid, 1 Magill Road, Stepney during the Adelaide Fringe.
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