If you’re yet to experience the joy of a Sammy J show, he is a baffling addition to the Australian comedy pantheon.
At first glance, he looks like the kind of genuinely sweet guy who wouldn’t even know what sarcasm is, let alone ever dare to use it. Looking more Disney Prince than King of Comedy, it can be easy to dismiss his work. After all, the Australian comedy scene tends to favour comedians with grit, bite, and just a hint of rage, and as one Brisbane Comedy Festival goer noted, ‘Sammy looks like the angriest he’s ever been is mildly irritated at a lukewarm tea’.
That charming, affable persona hides a wealth of glorious, gleefully chaotic hilarity. For those yet to experience the joy that is Sammy J’s snark, Sammy’s comedic superpower is the ability to dress biting criticism and unflinching honesty in so sweetly positive a musical number that the weaponised truths he wields will bounce around your head as earworms for weeks, forcing you to contemplate subject matter many would rather ignore.
‘Symphony in J Minor’, Sammy’s latest must-see performance, is an opportunity to showcase some beloved favourites, and an impressive reminder that Sammy’s capacity for comedy gold is rivalled only by his ability to get a packed venue to forget they’re meant to be responsible adults. Anyone who can get a room full of people to dance along to a 'Play School'-styled number about the NBN deserves your undying respect and loyalty.
‘Symphony’ is a strong introduction to a long and engaging career, and a masterclass in subverting expectations through some of the boppiest and most bafflingly-morbid songs ever created. Part of the joy of Sammy’s work is watching him take the preconceived notions people hold of him – the sweet, sunny disposition, the baby-faced adorableness that make it hard to imagine him ever daring to use a stronger word than ‘darn’ – and run riot with them. It would be funny, of course, to see him strut and swear, subverting the expectations. But instead, he runs every single assumption to their most gleefully absurd conclusions while somehow managing a wide-eyed, innocent expression.
Precious few comedians could create a satire of 'Play School' so utterly perfect, let alone present the show so flawlessly in character that the ABC creates a warning that it isn’t actually for kids. Watching Sammy step seamlessly into characters, to veer between vulnerability and swaggering bravado, is always impressive, but ‘Symphony’ somehow transcends his previous shows, creating something magical, mocking, and definitely must-see. If you like your comedy to balance the tightrope between sweet and sinister, this is a show you shouldn’t miss.
