Rhys Nicholson brought his killer Fringe World show ‘Work In Progress’ to Perth earlier this year and tickled audiences with a wit as sharp as his suits. After some tweaks, adjustments and a run at Melbourne Comedy Festival, Rhys returns with a bona fide show for a four night run at His Majesty’s. Leigh Hill caught up with Nicholson ahead of his travels to talk lip-synching, boobs and comedy.
I saw you’ve been lip-synching at Melbourne Comedy Festival – what’s that about?
It’s this dumb thing… I was on Melbourne Roadshow and my friend Bridget had been planning to do these lip-sync battles and I do these lip-sync things on Instagram and we were just drunk. A lot of my stories start with, “I was just drunk.”
It’s a late night show we run where I bring comedians from the festival to lip-sync and apparently people really like it.
Well you’ve got RuPaul’s Drag Race and Lip Sync Battle to thank for that blowing up.
Yeah, we’re just hoping Jimmy Fallon or RuPaul don’t sue us.
What would be your number one song to perform?
I did Bitch Better Have My Money. I went to a discount store and bought a lot of fake money and made it rain which I’ve never done before. I highly recommend everybody does that because it’s the most satisfying feeling in the world to make it rain.
I do ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’, the Barbra Streisand version. I’ve done “And I’m Telling You…” from ‘Dreamgirls’. I think I’m going to do Kate Bush maybe next week with a ballet ribbon.
Who are some of your favourites at Melbourne Comedy Festival?
I really want to see Bridget Everett. Oh my God, she’s so amazing. I’m obsessed with her, I wanna be her friend so much. I met her at the Gala and we have mutual friends but I was really star-struck by her. There’s much more famous people in the room but it’s this weird thing when it’s someone that you just really admire, so I just quietly freaked out. She got her boob out on the Gala.
Your show was a work-in-progress at Perth’s Fringe World, is it a complete show now?
It’s a very different show now. There’s a lot of the same stuff in it but it’s a lot better. A lot of people were thinking that it was just the name of the show but it actually was a work-in-progress. It was just a silly thing but I’m happy with it now. I was glad people came out. You Perth people are so nice! You come to things! That’s not gonna happen anywhere else, it’s insane.
Catch Rhys Nicholson’s ‘Bona Fide’ at His Majesty’s Theatre from Thursday 28th April – Sunday 1st May. Tickets and further information available from perthcomedyfestival.com
Check out my review of Rhys’ Fringe World show here.
Leigh Hill
