One of Australia’s favourite comedians is serving up a wholesome, hand-picked and cruelty-free show for laugh-lovers, with only a tiny taste of Trump.
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Arj Barker returns to entertain Ballarat on his Organic tour at Her Majesty’s Theatre tonight at 8pm.
The new show sees Barker discussing the trials and tribulations of his relationship, Uber and Australianisms, with the current US President getting a mention too.
“I don’t spend a lot of time on Trump because it’s kind of pointless, like whipping a dead horse,” he said.
“He’s so ridiculous that it’s somewhat redundant to make fun of him, he beats you to the punch.
“People are sick of hearing about it, but I also think that maybe I would be a bit of a lazy comedian if I didn’t at least address it.
“I am a lazy comedian, there’s no doubt about that, but I felt like I should mention it anyway.
Basically, you can forget about your problems for an hour and hear about mine.
- Arj Baker
Even with a successful comedy career spanning 27 years and regular appearances on Australian and US television, Barker still has some trepidation when he walks on stage.
“They never laugh at everything I say, and even if they do, I’m never sure they’ll keep laughing,” he said.
“It takes so much focus and concentration to do the show correctly and well that I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the result.
“But when someone laughs so substantially and out of sync with the rest of the audience, that really makes you realise how ridiculous your job is.”
Barker made his first trip to perform in Australia in 2000, finding an audience in our country who fiercy embraced him.
The native San Francisican now spends more time here than in the US.
“There’s a demand here that is one of the great joys of my career,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve always just sort of followed where I was wanted, and Australia has always been at the top of that list.
“I just kind of go with the flow, and for whatever reason, people enjoy my comedy here and I enjoy their audience-ness. I’m happy to foster that relationship.”
Now in his 40s, Barker said he’s been forced to think about the future.
“I’d like to have my own TV show where I get to have a lot of creative control,” he said.
“I may not have the discipline or chops to write it, but even if it sucks, I want it on my list of achievements.”
FREE TICKET WINNERS
Congratulations to Rowie Leslie and Andrew Barrett. You are off to see Arj Barker tonight!
Your names will be at the ticket office at Her Majesty’s. Ensure you have photo identification.
