by FIlmInk Staff
Australian comedy star Rhys Nicholson will film a new comedy special before a live audience at ABC Studios Melbourne on Friday 3 July, with the project produced by Ronny Chieng and James Acaster.
The special is adapted from RHYS! RHYS! RHYS!, Nicholson’s multi-award-winning live show, receiving accolades at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival and New Zealand International Comedy Festival.
Production is led by AACTA Award–nominated producer Kyran Nicholson, with direction from Cameron Barnett, a Director of Photography known for visually distinctive comedy projects featuring John Mulaney, Nikki Glaser and David Letterman.
Together with Nicholson, the team will craft a boldly cinematic, visually inventive special inspired by the stylised performance language of David Byrne and the iconic televised variety era of the 1970s, from David Bowie and Cher to Richard Pryor and Liza Minnelli.
“Stand up specials are very important to me,” Nicholson said. “We are doing our absolute darnedest to make this a very special special to be broadcast on TV, or a streamer or whatever we’ll be doing in a couple months. Microchips? Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure, it will inevitably be sliced up into tiny reels for you to watch while you’re going to the toilet.” Widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary comedy, Nicholson has built an international reputation through their sharp, genre-defining stand-up.”
Beyond the stage, Nicholson has appeared in Drag Race Down Under (Stan), The Weekly with Charlie Pickering (ABC), The Imperfects (Netflix). They will also appear in the upcoming season of The Traitors Australia (Channel 10) in August.
Further details on the comedy special, including broadcast and streaming plans, will be announced in the coming months.
