Spice Night

Presented as part of Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, Riverside Theatres in Parramatta will host Spice Night, an evening of stand-up comedy direct from four of Asia’s only out and proud comedians.

Spice Night producer Toby Sullivan speaks of the political and social importance of a unique show like this one, saying, “It can be a shock to liberal, western sensibilities to understand how pressured these performers are… these performers are upsetting conservative, authoritarian governments just by being visible. It’s an electric context for standup.”

Four openly gay comedians from various parts of Asia will perform on the night: Hirzi Zulkiflie, Joanne Kam, Navin Noronha and Margot Tanjutco. From the group, some are the only out gay comedians in their country. Their shared stories on the night and the harsh reality of what they face back home paired with their stunning comedy is set to form a unique and unmissable experience for Sydney audiences.

Joanne Kam, known as the queen of Malaysian stand-up comedy shared the personal importance of Spice Night saying, “It is very important especially as a Malaysian to take a stance that the LGBTQ + community is alive and we are a voice that needs to be heard. Our government do not want to highlight that we exist and sodomy is still a crime in Malaysia.”

Joanne is excited to bring her comedy to Sydney audiences saying, “there will be glamour and lots of audience interaction and crowd work as well stories from my persona escapes.”

Joanne hopes the audience will leave having experienced, “…the fact that I am loud, proud and in your face!”

Feb 22. Riverside Theatres, Corner of Church & Market Streets, Parramatta. $29-$39+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.riversideparramatta.com.au

By Madison Behringer