Comedy Gold tour proves an entertaining night for Great Southern with many laughs had

Some of WA’s funniest and most recognisable comedians, including veteran Peter Rowsthorn, had the Great Southern community crying with laughter at last week’s Comedy Gold show. About 200 people gathered at the Albany Entertainment Centre for the first event at the venue to sell out under current COVID-19 restrictions. MC Cameron McLaren opened the show just after 7.30pm. Hailing from Midland, McLaren is heavily involved in the Perth comedy scene, winning the best comedy award at 2017 WA Fringe World. Rolling out terms like “dope”and “dardy”, he guaranteed the show would be “Lucy Goosey” for us “silly sausages”. The 30-year-old appealed to the younger audience members but managed to get the entire room cracking a smile or having a laugh. Although some of his jokes were crass and some had racial themes, they seemed to be well received. Next up was newbie and Rowsthorn’s daughter, Frankie. On her first comedy tour, the 17-year-old is fresh to the stand-up comedy scene but knows how to work the stage. With great stage presence and hilarious charm, Frankie has a bright future ahead of her. Donning a short bob, black jumpsuit and converse shoes, the teen’s laidback style reflected her jokes about her high school experience, personal life and family. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the AEC was limited to seating 215 patrons as opposed to 618 under normal conditions. But that did not dampen the vibe. In fact, the smaller audience made it a more personalised experience and made you feel you were lucky to be there. The second act for the night was Emma Krause — one of the fastest-rising comedians in the industry. A finalist in last year’s Australia’s Got Talent, she has been smashing it ever since. Krause shared tales about marriage, motherhood and anything in between — including how she “pretends” to like camping, her friend Sharon with triplets, and how her husband thought he could renovate their house. But the audience could not wait any longer for Peter Rowsthorn. Entering to deafening applause, the comedian lived up to expectations. Rowsthorn is a high-energy stand-up and is probably still best known as long-suffering husband Brett Craig in the TV show Kath & Kim. One of his best gags involved a Mosman Park beach saga in which he insisted he walk to the beach with his kids but forgot his thongs. Anyone who has experienced a WA summer will know how hot the asphalt gets in the middle of the day. Rowsthorn’s re-enactment of walking from curb to curb and using the road’s white lines to rest his feet was hilarious and was one of several times he had people in tears.