We speak to one of the most exciting young comedians in Australia about her new show, One Small Beer, Thanks.
Kit Richards is the mastermind behind the acclaimed musical comedies, Scandal! A Reflection on Essendon’s Doping Saga: The Musical? and Wool! A History of Australia’s Wool Industry: The Musical.
Those netted her the 2021 Moosehead Award and a nomination for Best Cabaret Writing at the 2019 Green Room Awards respectively, honours which coincide nicely with her celebrated work as a writer for Hard Quiz and The 1% Club, among other television comedies.
Her new show, One Small Beer, Thanks ditches the narrative format for a jukebox celebration of weird and wonderful hyper-niche musicals she hasn’t quite written yet. It’s one of our top recommendations for the upcoming Melbourne International Comedy Festival, so we thought we better let Kit explain it herself.
Kit Richards – One Small Beer, Thanks
- 10-21 April (no show Mon/Tues) 9:30pm (8:30 Sundays)
- Theory Bar, Meyers Place
- Tickets here
Why musical comedy?
I have two answers to this. My real answer is I did stand up for years but I ended up finding it too boring. All of my favourite comedians are musical comedians, so that was the obvious path to follow. The silly answer is that I have the voice of an angel and it’s my duty to share it with the world.
What are the particular challenges and benefits?
The obvious challenge is that you have to make something funny that also rhymes. The less obvious challenge is finding material that works in song format. Not every story or joke can be a song, you don’t just want to have one punchline in a song so the idea has to be substantial enough to have many laughs throughout.
The benefits are that it’s easier to remember the lyrics to a song than a stand-up bit. Songs also have replayability, meaning that you can use old material and people will still want to hear it. It’s also just way more fun.
How do you go about striking the balance between musical and comedic quality? Or are they totally in sync?
I think that in an ideal world, the song should stand alone as a good song. But also, the music is as important to making the song funny as the lyrics. Making a really intense ballad about something stupid. Using sound effects and the way you sing to emphasise the punchlines. There are many ways to use it to your advantage, but ultimately the music and the lyrics should complement each other.
Tell us as much as you can about One Small Beer, Thanks?
It’s a jukebox show full of songs from hyper-niche musicals I haven’t written yet. It features songs such as ‘Billionaire Chicken Heiress’ from the unwritten musical Ingham: A Drumstick Dynasty, ‘Mum Brought the Babyccino to Sydney’ from the unwritten musical Mum-oir: A Musical Mum-Themed Memoir and ‘Is There Real Estate in Heaven?’ from the unwritten (and Tony-winning, theoretically) show Boomer: The Musical.
What does the title refer to?
It’s an in-joke with myself. I’m a small girl with a very low tolerance for alcohol, so when I go to pubs, I’ll start by saying “can I have a pot of pale ale please?” and sometimes, depending on the pub, they’ll say “we only have schooners” and depending on how fearless I’m feeling, I like to reply with “I’ll just have one small beer, thanks”. Usually I just say “yeah that’s fine, no worries.”
After tackling subjects like the wool industry and the Essendon doping scandal, it seems like you’re turning your focus inwards. If so, how has that process felt?
It’s a lot less research, let me say that much. My last show The Nicest Guy in Comedy was completely based on my personal experiences, and it ended up being very draining. This time, I’m just finding subject matter that makes me laugh and go from there. This is my first non-narrative show, which I’m finding a lot more challenging, but also very creatively freeing.
How does writing for TV influence your stand up?
The best part of writing for Hard Quiz is that my whole job is to deep-dive people’s personal obsessions. Sometimes you find stories that you never would’ve heard of otherwise, which is great for finding material.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about being a comedian?
That you have to be a funny person to do it. I’ve met a lot of comedians who aren’t funny when you speak to them, but who understand humour and know how to write a joke. I’m not one of them, I’m very funny in person, but that’s one thing that shocked me when I started.
What’s the weirdest story from your comedy career?
I did a trial show for my Essendon doping saga musical and one of the players came, and he happened to be the only one I name-checked more than once. He loved it and said that I did him and the team proud. He was also so hot up close. It was too much.
Do you have an amusing heckler story?
My first show was about the history of Australia’s wool industry and I mentioned up top, first monologue, that it was only 70% accurate; but one night a man decided to fact-check me the whole way through. Luckily, he was only mumbling loud enough for me to hear but it was wild.
Someone sees you perform, then they tell their friend about you… what do they say?
Great voice, an OK instrumentalist. Very funny and relaxed onstage presence. Also, I’m in love with her.
Can you provide a shameless plug to get our audience excited?
One Small Beer, Thanks debuts at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, 10-21 April (no show Mon/Tues) 9:30pm (8:30 Sundays) at Theory Bar, Meyers Place. Tickets here.
You can follow Kit on Instagram (@kitrichardscomedy) or Tiktok (@k_richo) for sneak peaks, previous performances, behind-the-scenes content and promo offers. If I can get my act together, I’ll also be giving out a free friendship bracelet with every ticket.
This article was made in partnership with Kit Richards.
