After making 300,000 Australians laugh on his last tour, Carl Barron is coming to Ipswich with his brand new show ‘Drinking With A Fork’.
What exactly makes Carl Barron so darn funny? Is it his thick rural Queensland drawl, his laid-back persona or the fact he can turn ‘toilet talk’ into a side-splitting joke? Whatever it is, perhaps the combination of all of these things, just works; so much so that Barron has had audiences laughing across Australia and the globe for the past twenty-three years.
The comedian comes from humble beginnings in the central Queensland town of Longreach, watching his father shear sheep before deciding to move to the Gold Coast to become a roof-tiler. Carl’s next journey took him to Sydney, where his dream of being a comedian was brought to fruition at the suggestion of fellow Australian comedian Akmal Saleh.
“I’ve just always wanted to be a comedian since I was a kid,” Carl said.
“I went and saw Jimeoin one night and something clicked.
“I thought I could talk about those sort of things. Then I spoke to the support act in the toilet, which was Akmal [Saleh] and said, ‘How do you get into it?’
He said, ‘Come to this pub next Monday night.’ So I did.” That stand up gig at Sydney’s Harold Park Hotel soon changed his life, continuing to roof-tile for a short while before transitioning into comedy full time.
At present, Barron has over 50 television spots to his credit, five of the top ten selling DVDs ever in Australia and the country’s highest selling stand-up comedy DVD in Australian retail history. On top of these accolades, he wrote and starred in the feel-good film Manny Lewis, a fictional story about a successful stand-up comedian who grapples with loneliness.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said Carl’s sense of observational humour aligns well with Ipswich locals and his performance would be a welcomed delight.
“Carl’s brand of Aussie humour is something that everyone can relate to,” Cr Pisasale said.
“Australians always find a way to laugh at themselves and Ipswich is no different – life would be boring without a sense of humour.
“It’s great to have one of the nation’s leading comedians in Ipswich.
“In fact, we like to laugh so much we’ve got Carl on stage for two nights.”
Carl’s two sell out shows will be showing at the Ipswich Civic Centre on Monday 12 December and Tuesday 13 December respectively.
To see what other events are on, call the Ipswich Civic Centre ticket office on 3810 6100 or visit their website at www.ipswichciviccentre.com.au.