Huge Big Party Congratulations! to Australian comic Rhys Nicholson, who is newly married and returns to the Fringe with a brilliant stand-up hour, after the success of their 2022 show.

Nicholson is the personification of that little voice in our head that says what we truly think, but sometimes must be squashed because of what society deems ‘proper’ or ‘polite’. In their latest act, Nicholson regales us with tales of being best friends in their childhood with a boy they also happened to have a crush on; as a teen, establishing an indie porn-selling side hustle with said friend/crush; how marriage hasn’t really changed their life; not wanting children; being a celebrity on Australian TV; having their travel plans upturned due to kidney stones and the kooky nurse they met; and living with ADHD. The last one – as Nicholson confesses – diverts them into hilarious tangents every show, but they managed to bring the performance back to their set act. Even the stories themselves never run independently or linearly, so we dip in and out of them, but with consistent laughs.

Nicholson’s energy on stage is infectious from the get-go. And the jokes come quick. Their strong storytelling skills, in terms of structure and oration, will ensure our gaze is on them throughout. What’s enchanting about their movement on stage is the way they almost engage in a dance with the microphone wire – tugging it along, looping it along their shoulder, swaying it around as they talk. Transfixed, in-between big belly laughs, we find ourselves nodding with a grin pasted on our face.

This is one huge big party you won’t want to miss.

‘Huge Big Party Congratulations!‘ has finished its run