The king of Australian ethnic comedy

By Walter J. Lyng, October 17th, 2012

In more ways than one, Joe Avati represents the pinnacle of ethnic comedy.
Known for infusing his stand-up with tales of his Italian heritage, he also incorporates his Australian citizenship into his comedic arsenal, making him a true force to be reckoned with in the material department.
This weekend, Avati will make his return to Montreal after more than a four-year absence, appearing at the Théâtre Desjardins-Jean-Grimaldi in LaSalle On Saturday, Oct. 20 and the Leonardo da Vinci Centre's Saputo Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 21 for two shows. Following that, he will come back to St. Leonard on Nov. 16 and 17.
And while Avati says that he will still be representing his culture this time Around, he says it won't be the only thing he'll be touching on.
“While it was a novelty and did get me attention, being Italian was just the focus of that [last] show,” he says. “Throughout all the shows we've done over the years, we just changed the aspect and we changed the view. For example, in this particular show, I dug deep and went back to my childhood.
Throughout the show, I become my father.”
Avati's family made the arduous three-month trip by ship to Sydney from the Calabria region of Italy in the early '70s. It would be the noticeable contrasts between his own upbringing and that of the more traditional Australian children around him which would form the basis of his act.
“In Australia, we are the pioneers of this kind of comedy,” he says. “We've been doing it for 25 years. A lot of the media of Australia thinks 'Oh, not another ethnic show,' but when you come here and you see the success that ethnic comics have had, it makes you realize that this is where it started.”
Having created a veritable comedic empire in Australia in recent years, Avati tours the country with a host of other comics representing different ethnicities and has also had some success on TV, hosting a show on the Food Network which he says was even picked up here.
Having played to various Italian communities around the world, however, Avati says Montreal's stands out in a special way.
“It's a very big and very strong community, but because of the way Montreal is, the word gets out very quickly,” he says. “It's a much more tight-knit community. I love coming here. It's one of my favourite places in the world.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.joeavati.com