Let’s Tidy Up – An interview with comedian Josh Thomas
Image: Josh Thomas. Image: supplied
After a hiatus of four years, Australian comedian Josh Thomas brings his new standup comedy show Let’s Tidy Up to the iconic Sydney Opera House.
When asked what his new show is about, he laughed. “I’m just terrible at knowing how to organize or clean things and it’s not going to get any better. I should just accept it. This show is basically all about me trying to figure out whether I can get better at things like that.”
Thomas explained that he started doing standup comedy because he wasn’t good at conversing or chit chatting. The idea was getting up on stage as a therapeutic platform to improve his conversational skills.
At age 17, he was the youngest winner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Raw Comedy Competition, which propelled his career in comedy.
Now at the age of 37, he’s an accomplished writer, actor, and comedian. When asked which is his favorite, he was quick to respond.
“I enjoy comedy because I don’t have to run anything by anybody or talk to any executives. It’s just me and my friend Lally who wrote this show with me and we get to do what we want.”
Lally Katz is an award-winning playwright and Thomas enthused that it’s much easier writing alongside another writer.
“I don’t want to write alone. Lally and I would go out for lunch and come up with the ideas which is a lot more pleasant.”
Thomas has worked on several programs on television, but he prefers performing stand-up comedy.
“I don’t really like going on television all that much. I don’t like the process involved in making a television program. I enjoy doing live comedy because it’s just that one night and it’s far more satisfying seeing the audience having fun and laughing at my comedy.”
When asked what audience Let’s Tidy Up would appeal to, being the cheeky comedian that he is, Thomas laughingly responded that he had no idea!
“It’s such a mix of people that come to watch my show. I’m gay so I always think that all the audience will be gay, but they’re not that gay. Elderly people also attend because the television programs I’ve worked on have aired on the ABC, which traditionally has older viewers.”
It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine so if anything ails you or you just need a fun night out come along and watch Josh Thomas at his hilarious best, performing in his new stand-up comedy!
