With their perfectly meshing styles, the pair are keen to weave their light-hearted atmosphere together for the first time in Melbourne.
“Both Gearard and I are really excited about it,” Johnson says. “We’ve done fringe festivals and Sydney Comedy Festival together before, but this is obviously the biggest in Australia, so it’s pretty cool to be there doing it.”
Johnson and McGeown met each other five years ago when they were both starting out on the comedy circuit. Johnson wrote short stories before her stand-up career, meeting McGeown in places like Sydney’s Laugh Garage and the RAW Comedy open-mic competition. Ever since, they’ve been doing shows together everywhere. McGeown has been featured on the likes of FBI Radio, 2day FM, triple j, and ABC TV’s The Checkout. Meanwhile, Johnson has performed in venues as diverse as shipping containers, living rooms, stairwells and bowling club bistros.
“I did well on my first gig, so I did it again,” Johnson recalls. “I didn’t do so well on my second gig, but I liked the first gig so much that I kept doing it. Gearard and I became friends from the outset. I think we’d only ever done a couple of gigs each when we first met. We then did a lot of open mics and that sort of stuff together. I think that helped in terms of doing a show together – we know each other’s style and how we work pretty well.”
Considering her first full solo show Good Grief at last year’s Sydney Fringe to be a “real highlight” of her journey, Johnson is excited to tackle this year’s Comedy Festival head-on. With a diverse range of comedy interests and tastes, she’s keen to catch shows from Josie Long and the Judith Lucy / Denise Scott double bill, amongst many more.
Originally from Sydney, Johnson moved to Melbourne six months ago. Though initially only knowing two or three comics and a couple of family friends, Johnson has found the local scene exceptionally accommodating.
“It’s been very friendly. Super, super friendly,” Johnson laughs. “I find comedians are pretty supportive of each other. I guess because it’s a strange thing to have in common with someone, because not many people do it. You can bond over that. People develop cliques and little communities through comedy, which is really nice. Melbourne in particular has been good, because when I first moved here, I was initially a bit hesitant moving to a new state. I wasn’t surprised by how nice everyone was, but just really pleased that everyone was welcoming, offering gigs and introducing me to other people. It makes it much, much easier.”
By Jacob Colliver
Venue: Tasma Terrace
Dates: Monday April 10 – Thursday April 13 & Tuesday April 18 – Saturday April 22
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $15 – $20