Tom Gleeson: Gear

Tom Gleeson has become a household name due to the enormous success of shows such as Hard Quiz, Taskmaster, and receiving the 2019 Gold Logie award via a deliberate campaign that (as described by the ABC) was marked by mockery. Gleeson is the recipient of many other accolades (best comedy performer 2022 AACTA Awards, best comedy 2020 Adelaide Fringe, best Comedy 2019 Perth Fringe World) yet his demeanour is disarmingly humble, even while he delivers some of his most acerbic humour and shares a wickedly unique perspective on the world.

Gleeson’s world is clearly full of irony and paradoxes, and he wields these experiences into comedy that pushes many boundaries of decorum and yet is hysterically funny. His dry, sometimes deadpan wit is often delivered with quite a punch. Gleeson’s unique ability to sustain a continuous and unrelenting pace is also quite extraordinary to watch. His acute understanding of dramatic pause is just one example of his perfect command of timing and intonation. He keeps his audience gripped to the seemingly innocuous anecdotes which culminate in revelations that are often as shocking as they are humorous.

The show is infused with some side-splitting impersonations of both famous and everyday figures, including some infamous or salacious individuals. This attests to the versatility of Gleeson’s talent and his astute observations of those around him. Gleeson is not afraid to mock himself, but he is unequally unafraid of mocking his audience and hovering dangerously close to offending them. This requires an incredible ability to calibrate his material and pitch it to the various and wide-ranging opinions or outlooks that characterise his many fans.

In this performance Gleeson easily demonstrates his trademark comic genius and often puts his audience to shame. However, he is able to do this in a charming and amiable manner which is also clearly intelligent and unassuming all at the same time.

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Morgan Sette