How many LOLs can Australia’s favourite kids’ comedians squeeze into one hour? Let’s find out.
By Rich Higgins & Matt Kelly
After nearly two decades of seriously silly nonsense, the ever-popular duo are coming back to IPAC for school holiday silliness! Matt and Rich (aka The Listies) have whipped up their most ridiculous show yet — a turbo-charged mash-up of fan favourites, slapstick, songs, and freshly hatched gags.
Hot on the heels of their brand new joke book (This Book is a Joke, Scholastic 2025) and recently sold out Sydney and Melbourne Comedy Festival seasons, The Listies bring the spirit of the gag page to the stage with chaos, cardboard props, questionable costumes and zero educational value (although, knowing parents, you’ll find a teaching moment in there somewhere).
Join the fun, it’s a variety show gone bananas.
About The Listies
The Listies are Richard Higgins and Matthew Kelly, a comedy double act who are serious about being silly. They formed during the latest Ice Age (2008) to perform absurdist comedy to elderly people (i.e. 18+) but switched to full time kids comedy in 2011, and finding it to be a wondrous and rewarding sphere full of joy, never looked back (plus the hours are heaps better).
To date, they have claimed to have written ten-ish award-winning & critically acclaimed live shows, collaborated with most major theatre companies and festivals in Australia, toured 3 continents, recorded four albums, and published four books with Penguin – and they have 2 books on the way. Though we only have their word for this…
Credits
| Writers & Performers | Rich Higgins & Matt Kelly |
| Outside Eye | Mish Grigor |
| Lighting Designer | El Edie |
| Sound Designer | Iva Lottagas |
About The Listies
The Listies create delightfully clever and irreverent work for families with a trademark ‘DIY’ aesthetic, which is both integral to the artistic vision of their shows and has an extremely low emissions footprint. This is due to the small touring party of 3 and the ‘suitcase touring’ model, which sees the entire set fit in 8 suitcases – particularly important for international touring. Total projected emissions for the This Show is a Joke! tour are 6.2T CO2e; just 260kg CO2e per show. This is by far the lowest emitting tour in Arts On Tour’s 2026 program and as such, is one of five productions in our 2026 Touring Program under AOT’s Green Program banner, which sees AOT seek out productions that have been made according to sustainability principles; utilise a low emissions touring model; and/or communicate environmental themes to audiences. To learn more about AOT’s environmental commitment, visit the AOT website here.
