Culture
Comedy
A half-marathon? I would rather die than do that again
A hypothetical bad idea was suddenly transformed into an ongoing mistake. I’d joined a long-distance race.
- by James Colley
Latest
Doctors, dentists and dermatologists: Being old is a fulltime job
The sending of medical reminders to the over-60s must be the only thing keeping the postal service going.
- by Richard Glover
Exclusive
Sydney Comedy Festival
Kiwi comedian wins $1500 top prize at the Sydney Comedy Festival
Guy Montgomery, a frequent guest on Have You Been Paying Attention?, has won Best of the Fest as the event celebrates its biggest year since before the pandemic.
- by Hannah Story
My ’70s reading list was a cry for self-help
Remember Lobsang Rampa? I wish I didn’t.
- by Richard Glover
Opinion
AI
Can AI tell better jokes than a human? You be the judge
Humour is an intrinsically human trait. But I fear the time when Alexa and Siri have better punchlines than we do.
- by Antoinette Lattouf
Fatboy Slim reminded us how invigorating old school raves can be
Our favourite shows from the weekend include electro pioneer Fatboy Slim, comedian Michael Hing, the Australian Ballet’s Jewels and Guts Dance’s Sydney debut.
- by Daniel Herborn, Michael Ruffles and Chantal Nguyen
The office works. I don’t get the appeal of working from home
Humans are social people. We’re not built for isolation.
- by Richard Glover
The drug dealer turned stand-up comic who’s now high on laughter
Drug dealer turned comedian Andrew Hamilton tours his MICF Best Newcomer-nominated show to the Sydney Comedy Festival.
- by Daniel Herborn
Old-fashioned comic alter ego is a dazzlingly original creation
Our wrap of the week’s best live shows - from dance to classical music to comedy, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Ballet and Troy Hawke.
- by Peter McCallum, Chantal Nguyen and Daniel Herborn
Opinion
Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries is a reminder that we should laugh the phrase ‘read the room’ out of existence
Read the room? Read a book. The history of worthwhile art was made by dogged individuals who followed the promptings of their own talents.
- by David Free
The Hong Kong comedian whose Australian shows are selling out a month in advance
Chan Lok Tim takes on everything from his don’t-talk-too-much upbringing to an (accidentally) cannabis-fuelled work Zoom.
- by Elizabeth Flux