If you love Arrested Development, this is the comedian for you

Sydney Comedy Festival is back, with its biggest program yet. There are more venues than ever, and 800-plus shows that range from political polemic to personal storytelling, improvised sketch to musical comedy.

It can all be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re more used to getting your laughs from the small screen. So here are our recommendations for comedy fans looking to get off the couch and out to some live comedy.

Paul WiliamsCredit:

If you like The Flight of the Conchords, try Paul Williams
A generation after two awkward Kiwis conquered the world with lo-fi musical comedy The Flight of the Conchords, a wave of young New Zealand comics they influenced are everywhere on the comedy scene. The dapper Paul Williams – also familiar from his role as the long-suffering assistant on Taskmaster New Zealand – has a (mostly) sweet persona, an appealing air of melancholy and genuine chops as a storyteller and singer.
Don’t Look at Me, Factory Theatre, April 23-24.

Chris RyanCredit:

If you like Hacks, try Chris Ryan
Anyone who has savoured the martini-dry one-liners of Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance or the finely tuned cynicism of Hannah Einbender’s Ava Daniels may find a new favourite comic voice in the world-weary Chris Ryan. As with that show’s comedian frenemies, there’s an appealing layer of vulnerability under the hard-bitten surface of Ryan’s work. While a life in the entertainment industry machine may have jaded our Hacks heroines, Ryan has more relatable bugbears, among them: internet twits, wellness charlatans and people with five-year plans.
Extreme Tenant, Enmore Theatre, May 15-18

Elf LyonsCredit:

If you like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, try Elf Lyons
One of the more unlikely developments in the comedy world of late has been the return of clowning as a creative force. Now, every festival is overflowing with Gaulier graduates and acclaimed augustes. British clown Elf Lyons is at the vanguard of this renaissance with her Horses. It’s billed as the “first-ever show performed entirely by a horse”, but that description captures only some of its chaotic, genre-bending brilliance; it also weaves in family history, uncanny sound design and elements of mime and sketch comedy.
Horses, Factory Theatre, April 23-27

Kieran Hodgson.Credit:

If you like Parks and Recreation, try Kieran Hodgson
Mike Schur’s sitcoms have been set everywhere, from a police precinct to the afterlife, but always with that distinctive sensibility: a bit nerdy, warm and unafraid of tackling big ideas. There is a similar comic tone in Kieran Hodgson’s work, which tends to take a deep dive into a formative anecdote or pet subject each time around, be it cycling or classical music. This year, the four-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee reckons with his lifelong love of the US in light of, well, you know.
Sounds American, Factory Theatre, May 15-16

David Correos.Credit:

If you like Arrested Development, try David Correos
Hot take incoming: David Correos may have been the funniest competitor in any season of Taskmaster. He brings some of that wild-eyed, madcap energy to his always unpredictable live work. Admirers of the elaborate and joke-dense Arrested Development will find plenty to love here, but you could also throw in the “what did I just watch?” strangeness of Mr Show or the extreme physical buffoonery of Jackass as comparisons.
Noise Zealand, Factory Theatre, May 7-11

Sophie Duker.Credit:

If you like Tuca & Bertie, try Sophie Duker
The surreal and zany cartoon Tuca & Bertie, featuring two BFF birds played by Ali Wong and Tiffany Haddish, is a favourite of Duker’s. Some of the same playfully offbeat energy runs through the British stand-up’s work. A charismatic performer with a slangy style and a penchant for oversharing, her new hour promises to be a typically upbeat and open-hearted affair, this time focusing on her recent journey to self-discovery through therapy.
But Daddy I Love Her, Bondi Pavilion, May 15-18

Aditya Gautam.Credit:

If you like Fresh Off the Boat, try Aditya Gautam
Anyone interested in a comic rendering of the immigrant experience will warm to Gautam’s new hour, which relates the culture shock of his early days living in Australia after growing up in India. Also an author and journalist, Gautam toured widely with The Racist Immigrants group show, and in his second solo hour, he shares five stories loosely based around things he loves. Expect heartfelt tales, fresh perspectives on local culture and pugnacious crowd work.
Unskilled Immigrant, Enmore Theatre, May 3-4

Reuben Kaye.Credit:

If you like The Golden Girls, try Reuben Kaye
As an eternally stylish, man-hungry dynamo with the most outrageously bitchy one-liners around, Kaye may be the closest thing Australian comedy has to Blanche Devereaux, though his politics are significantly more progressive. The powerhouse voice and swooning show tunes are only part of the package at a Reuben Kaye show. Come for the sharp cheekbones and sharper jokes, stay for the poignant storytelling and the whole sequined showbiz spectacle of it all.
The Party’s Over, Enmore Theatre, April 24

Chloe Petts.Credit:

If you like The Vicar of Dibley, try Chloe Petts
As is often the way with British sitcoms, the influence of Richard Curtis’ fish-out-of-water vehicle for Dawn French has endured far beyond its slim output. The show was a formative influence on Petts, who was recently a standout in Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda. An unpretentious, no-fuss comic and self-described “football lout”, Petts’ latest hour covers how they won – and lost – a dream television gig as a sports pundit.
How You See Me, How You Don’t, Enmore Theatre, April 24-25

Abby Govindan.Credit:

If you like Patriot Act with Hasan Minaj, try Abby Govindan
One of the most hotly tipped newcomers on the US circuit, Indian-American comic Govindan grew up on the comedy of Russell Peters, John Mulaney and Hasan Minaj and has gone on to be the opening act for Minaj. Her work deftly explores political injustice, but she also loves a good prank, including getting the KKK to send her a free book and convincing the internet that she created Emily in Paris.
How to Embarrass your Immigrant Parents, Enmore Theatre, April 24-27