★★★★: Peter Helliar masters the juggling act at Melbourne Comedy Festival
With 23 years in comedy under his belt, Peter Helliar isn’t planning to slow down anytime soon, with not one, but two stand-up shows at this year’s Melbourne comedy festival. READ OUR REVIEW.
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With an illustrious, longstanding career in comedy to his name, you’d be forgiven for thinking Peter Helliar might want to wind things down, but if anything, he’s amping it up.
The veteran comedian has spent the past 12 months juggling his role on The Project, touring stand-up, writing his next children’s bestseller, in addition to creating and co-writing his own comedy sitcom, How to Stay Married, airing on Network Ten.
Exhausting as it sounds, Helliar wouldn’t have things any other way.
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“To be quite honest, I love all of what I do,” said the 42-year-old father-of-three.
“I’m not really looking to slow down anytime soon.”
As for what’s next, the comedian’s gearing up for the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
A seasoned regular at the festival, Helliar initially planned to sit out this year.
“Typically, I’ll participate every second year to keep content fresh,” he said. “Yet here I am, spruiking not one, but two shows.”
It’s a different move for the comedian, who will showcase his latest stand-up performance, The Complete History of Better Books, in addition to a re-run of his highly acclaimed 2018 show, Big Boy Pants, for one night only.
“I had such an incredible reception with Big Boy Pants, but the bulk of the tour was regional so I decided to bring it back as an encore performance for those who missed out,” he said.
While Big Boy Pants is all about life challenges presently faced by Helliar, The Complete History of Better Books takes inspiration from the past, more specifically the comedian’s childhood.
In fact, Helliar can credit much of the content in his latest show to his eight-year-old self.
“I loved writing books as a kid and my parents kept everything, so when I stumbled upon the books recently it was like I’d stepped into a nostalgic time capsule, with references to things like Back to the Future and Pet Cash.”
“The show provides a snapshot of that era, for sure, but kids will enjoy it too. It’s very much an all-ages kind of stand-up show.”
Helliar’s childhood ambitions have come full circle, with the fourth title from his best-selling children’s book series, Frankie Fish, launching in the coming weeks.
“Developing a children’s book series was something I always wanted to do, especially after having kids of my own,” he comedian.
“In the future I’d love to write adult novels as well. I should probably rephrase that [laughs]; not those kinds of books.”
Writing for television is also something Helliar’s relishes, fresh off the heels of his debut comedy series, How to Stay Married, which follows a couple (played by the comic and Lisa McCune), as they go through the trials and tribulations of being married for 15 years.
“Writing for sitcom requires a different kind of relatable humour to what I’m used to on The Project and stand-up,” Helliar said. “It’s forced me to take more creative risks.”
Reflecting on 23 years in comedy, Helliar can still recall those earlier years when he was finding his feet.
“When you start out, you’re just happy to get laughs out of people and to be honest, it takes 10 to 15 years to really become a solid comic,” he said. “It’s really exciting to see what’s ahead for comedy in Australia because there’s so many fresh faces and emerging platforms.”
REVIEW: PETER HELLIAR, THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF BETTER BOOKS
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewer: Daniel Ziffer
Self-starter Peter Helliar published books when he was in primary school.
Those books, rescued from the family garage in Bundoora, are brought to life with words, animation and laughter in this joyous show.
While not “for children” specifically, this is a warm-hearted hour friendly for families to attend together.
For parents it’s like being back in a time of delayed gratification, the 1980s.
Youngsters will enjoy the tales of adventure and friendship and understand a key reason to become an author, to make yourself the centre of the greatest stories ever told.
Exuberant and warm, this limited-run show rewards and celebrates a lifetime of childish play.
Peter Helliar, The Complete History of Better Books, until April 7, Upstairs, The Forum. Big Boy Pants, April 13. Comedy Theatre. Book tickets.
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