From flatlining at an open mic to finding his real voice, Sammy Petersen has come a long way.
Standing in front of a room of horrified punters in 2018, comedian Sammy Petersen’s heart decided it had copped enough of the brutal comedy industry that had been his childhood obsession.
The cardiac arrest was less a punchline and more a sobering full stop to years of enabling some of Australia’s most notorious comedy legends.
Sammy Petersen – Why The Long Face
- April 7 to 20, 2024
- Melbourne Comedy Festival
- Tasma Terrace
- 9pm
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
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Growing up on Philip Island with a hairbrush microphone and his mum’s Judith Lucy DVDs on repeat, young Sammy couldn’t have predicted the absolute shitshow ahead.
His pure-hearted love of comedy led him down a path littered with addiction, toxic relationships and way too many loans to Greg Fleet.
The show traces Petersen’s comedy evolution from Fleet’s perpetually ghosted mentee to becoming tangled up with Fiona O’Loughlin, earning him the industry nickname The Addict’s Addict.
Behind his struggle with enabling was a deeper pattern stretching back to age 18 and his first brush with addiction through his violent brother. But this isn’t just another sob story about hitting rock bottom.
After years of mining his facial palsy for laughs and landing a book deal for Why The Long Face, Petersen’s cardiac incident forced a total reset.
Now the host of hit pods Confessions and Your Two Drunk Aunties with Bron Lewis brings his raw debut hour that’s already scored props from Wil Anderson, Missy Higgins and Tim Minchin.
Why The Long Face isn’t just for the room of punters who watched his heart give out – it’s for little Sammy and anyone who’s had to walk away from their dreams to actually start living them.
For tickets to Sammy Petersen’s Why The Long Fact, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Sammy Petersen.
