Sammy Petersen loves comedy.
The grown-up Sammy who we meet in his debut hour of comedy at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is genuinely someone who would make young Sammy proud, because his show 'Why The Long Face' is truly something to be proud of.
Sammy takes the audience on a journey through his own personal relationship with comedy, one that is filled with strong punchlines and delightful anecdotes about him coming of age in the Australian comedy scene.
In this show, which is a beautiful love letter to comedy, Sammy sheds light on the magic that is comedy in Melbourne and the unique scene that surrounds it. On the night that I was lucky enough to catch the show, the crowd was treated to a special experience as one of the performers mentioned in Sammy’s stories, Greg Fleet, was in the crowd. Having had some of my own experiences with the great (albeit flawed) man, the parts where Sammy would share a tale about Fleety and he would rowdily react in his distinct voice, truly tickled me. I wondered if the show hit in the same way for others in the crowd, so I checked with my friend and despite not having a personal reference point she was able to share that these moments were still a joy to experience.
Other comedic icons are mentioned throughout the tales that Sammy weaves into his act and it is clear that he has put the lessons he has learned from years of watching their craft into his own. Sammy has honed a tight comedic skillset and it is a delight to watch him play with classic comedic devices across the hour-long show. The tap-dancing callback was a particular favourite of mine – watching a comedian work their way through a strong hour of stand-up is a wonderful experience and that’s what you get at this show.
See this show if you’ve got a love of Aussie comedy, in fact, see this show if you love comedy in general, and love to see a new(er) face do it incredibly well.
