In his first year of comedy, Australian comedian Anthony Jeannot won the Search for a Funny Bone competition in a field that included international superstar Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show, Crazy Rich Asians) and Nick Cody (Conan).
In the years since, Anthony has sold out shows and won critical acclaim for five separate solo stand up shows at Edinburgh Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Fringe Festival, as well as selling out multiple runs in London.
After performing a sold out run of his debut Edinburgh Fringe show Life Coach (Age 14), Anthony teamed up with acclaimed director John Gordillo (who has worked with comedians including Dylan Moran, Reginald D Hunter, Josh Widdicombe, Tommy Tiernan, Shappi Khorshandi and Phil Nichol) to craft his debut album.
Anthony Jeannot – Stand Up Comedy Album captures the storytelling talents that set him apart. The show focuses on Anthony slowly facing up to the realisation that life as a millennial is going to be harder than it was for his parents’ generation, a fact that has been exacerbated by recent events.
In 2001, Anthony’s school made him write a letter to his future self. Now, 17 years later, he has finally received that letter, and it might have ruined his life. Anthony Jeannot – Stand Up Comedy Album examines the compromises we make as adults, after we set aside the idyllic wisdom of youth, and the broken promises of past generations.
From the hilarious tales of dates with doomsday survivalists to the disappointing reality of working in social media, and taking magic mushrooms in 5-star hotel rooms for personal development, no stone goes unturned in this personal, moving and hilarious hour of comedy.
With social distancing separating many, Anthony believes the power of storytelling is more important than ever. “Right around the world, we’re experiencing an event that means the amount of people who we interact with indirectly is tiny,” he says. “You miss those people watching moments, sitting at a cafe and hearing a couple having an argument that you’ve had with your partner.”
“Those little moments that accidentally remind us how similar we all are. I think good storytelling comedy offers that. It lets you deep dive into someone’s thought process and pull things out and go does anyone else think that? The answer is often yes, and that is often the funniest thing, that we’re all a little bit crazy in the same kind of way,” says Jeannot.
To stream, Anthony Jeannot – Stand Up Comedy Album, visit Apple Music.
Image: Anthony Jeannot (supplied)