Former martial arts champion Jeremy Dooley returns to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with his most personal show yet.
In what might be the world’s worst-timed career change, comedian Jeremy Dooley has picked the precise moment he’s about to become a first-time dad to launch his first full-time year in comedy. His new show Daddy Cool lands at this year’s comedy festival, exploring the chaotic collision of these two massive life changes.
“I’ve put a lot of work, and a lot of kilometres into it. And I’ve eaten an absurd amount of highly questionable servo food along the way. I didn’t really think that comedy was ever really a thing that you could do,” he reflected on his earlier years, having first dipped his toes into the comedy scene as a teenager.
Jeremy Dooley – Daddy Cool
- 28 March – 20 April (Thursday – Sunday)
- 7:30pm at The Collection Bar, 328 Bridge Road, Richmond
- Get tickets here
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The former Class Clowns winner took a substantial detour before finding his way back to the stage. Between his comedy stints, Dooley became a champion martial artist (“I was very good at blocking punches with my face”), youth worker, and business consultant.
After a brief teenage foray into comedy that ended with familiar migrant parent pressure to “get a real job,” Dooley’s return to stand-up during lockdown has proven more successful than even he imagined. Since 2021, he’s been selling out shows across Australia and even took his particular brand of observational comedy to Europe.
Since then, Dooley has established himself as one of Australia’s fastest-rising comics, selling out his Melbourne International Comedy Festival runs from 2022 to 2024, alongside packed houses at the Geelong Comedy Festival. His momentum has carried him across the country with sold-out shows in Darwin, Perth, NSW and Brisbane, while sharing stages with comedy heavyweights including Rhys Nicholson, Hannah Gadsby, Dave Hughes, Tom Cashman, Mike Goldstein, Ivan Aristeguieta and Daniel Connell. His international appeal has seen him headline to full houses across Portugal and Malta.
His new show promises his trademark blend of silly observations and heartfelt storytelling, tackling everything from receiving questionable parenting advice to the anxieties of impending fatherhood. It’s a significant shift from his last festival offering, No Time For Games, where he explored the hustle culture surrounding him while trying to “stop and smell the roses.”
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“I’m going to be dealing with fresh nappies and no sleep by the time I start Daddy Cool,” he adds. “I’m really looking forward to bringing this new chapter to the stage – I know my audience will be able to relate to the excitement and fears that come along with it. If nothing else they’ll get an up close and personal view of what delirium looks like!”
The timing couldn’t be more perfect (or terrifying) for his first full-time year in comedy, with his baby due just weeks before the festival kicks off. It’s this kind of precise cosmic timing that Dooley manages to find the humour in, helping audiences laugh during what he acknowledges is “a time where everything is a little too serious.”
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