Dean of laughs - Entertainment in Cairns

Behind the wry observations of Australian and American life, Tommy Dean is a house husband with a passion for board games, writes Denise Carter.

Half heaven and half hell is Tommy Dean?s idea of the roadshow he joined on Friday as part of Melbourne?s Comedy Festival, which will arrive in Cairns on?Tuesday.

Heaven because in the six years he has been part of the roadshow, the long-haired American-born comic has seen every port of call in Australia; hell because he has to leave his wife and three children and the resulting organisation that comes with that.

Tommy lives in Sydney and when he is not working he spends most of his time being a daddy to his twin girls, aged six, and his son, aged nine, and he has developed some domestic talents.

"I was terribly disappointed at a public school fete when I came third in the chocolate cake division," he says, from his suburban home at Earlwood, near Marrickville.

"So for our school, I made 150 scones.

"I outsconed them."

This is an indication of his comedic mind that has resulted in a career he believes developed in no small way by osmosis.

"I?ve been doing it (comedy) since I was 19," he says. "If I wasn?t a comedian, I?d maybe be managing a Pizza Hut.

"In school, I thought I might be something to do with food, maybe, a chef."

Celebrity chef, how are you?

Like most comedians, Tommy has had his fair share of dodgy moments when life on stage seemed not such a good idea.

His absolute worst stage experience he describes as humiliating.

"It was one of my first gigs shown to a college fraternity," he says.

"They didn?t really care to have comedy and pelted us with small buffet food.

"It was so humiliating to be hit by cubes of cheese and puffs. I got profiteroles between my eyes and decided I?d had enough."

Tommy still has his American accent, although he has been in Australia since 1992 having followed a woman, his first wife, whom he met and with whom he had a whirlwind romance when she was travelling in the US.

About five years later, they parted.

"She didn?t find me that funny," he says.

Just when he was about to pack it in and return home, he met his new wife.

"We met to the sounds of Portishead (Glorybox), which is this ethereal, heavy droning music, in a trades hall during the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

"Mind you, our first dance was to My?Sharona."

Even in Sydney, life on the comedy scene wasn?t exactly easy.

"Years ago on the pub scene, it was quite rough and ready," he says.

"There was yelling and shouting and people weren?t primarily there for the comedy.

"I remember in Wollongong, one guy took offence. It was late and he was drunk."

Tommy had to be escorted to his car for his?protection.

On the other end of the spectrum are what Tommy calls the glowing highlights of his?career.

"The concert hall of the Opera House in Sydney for New Year?s Eve," he says, recalling its magic. "There was another one while on a festival tour in the north west of western Australia.

"The electricals went and the miners put on their hats (to illuminate the show)."

Tommy describes his comedy as "slightly obscure, philosophical and hopeful" and then says he has no idea what that means.

"My theory is I think comedically," he says.

"It?s not my goal but when I?m being serious I sound funny."

You may imagine a road tour of comedians to be all fun and laughter backstage.

"All the funny is on the stage," Tommy says.

"Backstage it?s a quiet and reflective time.

"I bring my board games and try to get them to play."

Tommy, a board game enthusiast, is on the committee of Boardgames Australia, a not-for-profit organisation with the mission of introducing board games to family and social gatherings. He has 300 games in his collection with his favourite being Arkham?Horror.

So what can we expect from the shows at the Civic Theatre from Tommy and the motley crew of Melbourne comedy?

"It will be a diverse range of what stand up can do from ethereal meanderings to hard core rants," Tommy says.

If that doesn?t hook you in, nothing will.

>>?Tommy Dean will perform at the Melbourne Comedy Festival Road Show at Cairns Civic Theatre alongside Justin Hamilton, Mike Wilmot, DeAnne Smith and David Quirk from Tuesday, May 24-26, at 7.30pm, followed by the Atherton International Club on Friday and Johnstone Shire Hall on Saturday.?Tickets $38 adults, concessions apply. Visit Ticketlink at www.ticketlink.com.au or call Ph: 1300 855 835.

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