Taking The Comedy World By Storm: Leo Reich

Self-described as a “little idiot freak” and “perfect gay boy,” Leo Reich has taken the comedic world by storm, and is the Generation Z breakout sensation that has everybody talking. 

Nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2022 and for Best Newcomer at the Dave Comedy Awards 2022, Leo has injected the UK comedy scene with grand narratives, making several TV appearances including Friday Night Live, Late Night Mash and Comedy Central Live. 

Leo will be performing his show “Literally, Who Cares” at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in March and April this year. 

“All of my stand-up is 100% true and definitely happened. It’s all linked to my queer identity in the sense that I am gay, and I am saying it,” Leo explained. 

When Star Observer asked Leo how being queer has shaped the formation of his identity and his practice of writing and storytelling, he responded, “I guess it made me feel very ashamed and disgusted by myself for many years which, although damaging on a psychological level, is actually a non-negotiable prerequisite for making even one person laugh.” 

He considers himself an “open book” and goes by the line “privacy is a myth and a scourge on our society.” There is nothing that he won’t speak about, and the pages of his open book are “filled with horrible sex stories that no one at dinner asked to hear.” 

Leo explained the title of his show “Literally, Who Cares?”, as something that was created from a hard deadline and the un-serious nature of picking a name out of a hat. 

When asked if there were any comedians that he was looking forward to hearing from at the festival, Leo quipped, “I would rather die than hear from another comedian. Have you heard these guys? I will be desperately trying to sleep with all of them though.” 

Leo Reich describes his show  “Literally, Who Cares?” as “the most perfect flawless comedy show of all time,” with the caveat, “as long as you share my exact background and cultural reference points.” 

He explains that stand-up to him is “rock and roll baby!” Not a fan of being vulnerable, he retorts that if he wanted to be vulnerable, he’d go off to find a “life partner” or “go to therapy.” 

For young hopefuls wanting to jump into the stand-up scene, Leo cautions, “There are already so many of us, please god try acting or something instead.” 

Constantly distracted by all the “hot hunks in the crowd,” Leo is riding the wave of “financial instability and the opportunity to perform for hundreds of humourless middle-aged drunk men with hate in their eyes.” 

He describes his best gig as one which was cancelled a few minutes prior to his performance, where he still was paid and went to eat dumplings instead of doing comedy, and the worst gig being “any of the others.” 

Leo walks through life with a searing nonchalance and blissful uptick of comedy, responding to the question of upcoming projects as one of self-improvement. 

“I’m working on myself at the moment. Hopefully, I’ll sell myself to a streamer at some point,” he said.  

 The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. The festival began in 1987 and has since taken place annually in Melbourne over a four-week period. 

One of the favourites from the Festival features an all-Queer comedy showcase throughout the event. Each night a new line-up of “current and future Queer stars of Australian comedy” will share the stage in celebration of voices and stories that “need to be heard’.

Some other Queer comedians to look out for include: 

Daisy Webb

Stand-up comic, actor, and trans icon, Daisy Webb is the co-host of The Daisy Diaries podcast and will be performing her show “Joy” at the Festival. “Joy” is A show about self-love and her discovery of her trans identity during the 2020 lockdowns. Joy will be Daisy’s debut solo performance and people can get excited to hear about her undergoing “second puberty”, career changes, and the silly, awkwardness of re-discovering who she is. 

Tom Ballard

The youngest ever recipient of the Melbourne Comedy Festival’s Best Newcomer Award for his debut hour, Tom Ballard Is What He Is, in 2009, the comedian will be returning to Melbourne for his show “It Is”.  The former Triple J presenter and TV host has recently published a new book, I, Millennial and will be exploring social commentary through the likes of climate change, capitalism, whilst peppered alongside a hybrid of tragedy and comedy. 

Lucy Best and Michele da Costa 

Both establishing the BiLife campaign in 2022, Lucy and Michele will be producing a series of Queer comedy variety nights at the Festival. Each night the BiLife Founders will be joined by four guest comedians and audience members will be able to experience a fun mix of sketch, stand-up comedy, and some musical delights throughout the evening.