Anh Do: The Happiest Refugee – Live

The Happiest Refugee – Live is comedy for our times. A neat, cleverly encapsulated, first-hand account of what it is to be displaced from your homeland, a child of war, a new migrant in a foreign land, an eldest brother with the weight of self-expectation on your shoulders, a family up against financial hardship, and above all else, what it is to be human and laugh in the face of all these things.

This one-man performance, based on Do’s award winning book of the same title, is probably the happiest audience experience I have ever had.

Do’s comedic persona is absolutely charming. He wins the audience instantly with recollections of his youth in the western Sydney suburb of Yagoona. He quips about his neighbourhood and the peer activities that set the bar for cultural norms; within schooling life sentences usually ended in parole, not full-stops. Then, as quickly as our laughter bubbles over, Do transports us to another place, a grim reality unfamiliar to most in the 2,000-plus Arts Centre audience.

This autobiographical show, like Do’s life, is grounded in the poignant beginnings of his family’s post-Vietnam war escape, via boat, to Australia. His recollection is unadulterated and leaves a heavy impression. The audience is literally silenced, digesting the concurrent reality of sitting comfortably in the luxury of Do’s entertainment, while our minds are reminded of Australia’s very current, highly contentious, debate about refugee policy.

This transition is brief, however, and within moments the audience is laughing again. And so the evening proceeded. The character building, and often tear-jerking, events of Do’s younger years are peppered with fantastically funny anecdotes and hilarious video content: one of the highlights combines a jet fighter joyride, 2 hamburgers and a milkshake…

Do’s comedy has a Zen-like current to it: it’s enlightening and, unlike most contemporary Australian comedy, not anchored in stylistic frameworks of sarcasm, smut and droll whining. And while there are some moments of real sadness, Do’s intuitive ability to transition between live performance and pre-recorded material is perfectly tempered in pace and narrative development. He allows the moments of sadness to pass, to be considered and felt, while leaving you uplifted and reminded of the many blessings to be cherished in this funny thing called ‘life’.

Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5

Anh Do: The Happiest Refugee – Live
State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne
July 17 – 18

Additional Dates:
State Theatre, Sydney
July 19 – 21