COMEDIAN Geraldine Hickey is bringing a very personal – and very funny – story to Redlands Coast next month.
Hickey’s new stand-up show, A Weight Off Her Chest, arrives at Redland Performing Arts Centre on September 4, drawing on her decision to undergo a breast reduction and the liberating consequences that followed.
“All my material is from my life. I don’t know how to make stuff up. I just say it and make it funny,” Hickey said.
The acclaimed comedian said her stories connected because audiences could recognise something of themselves in them – whether they had experienced the exact same situation or not.
“And so, with boobs. Basically, I had shit boobs. And life is better without them,” she said.
“I got rid of them all. It has improved my life in so many ways.
“I don’t need them and now I save money because I don’t have to wear a bra. I have clothes that fit.
“It is more comfortable when I have a massage.
“I don’t have to put two bras on to go for a run. I’m ready to go anytime.”
Hickey said the procedure was a practical, freeing decision rather than a gender-affirming one, giving her a new confidence in everyday moments – from escaping a burning building without becoming tangled in a bra strap to finally attempting a handstand without knocking herself out.
“I’ve always been big, but not ‘good big’. I wasn’t one of those people who was proud of getting the girls out,” she said.
“They weren’t up and out there. They were like two sad sandbags.”
At 46, Hickey has turned the experience into what promises to be an honest, revealing and big-hearted hour of comedy.
“The show has been really great, with some good responses. It is a fun way to spend an hour on stage,” she said.
Known for her warmth, sharp timing and storytelling style, Hickey said she was looking forward to performing at RPAC for the first time.
“I have performed to a room of 30 and that’s intimate, but so can a theatre of 500,” she said.
Geraldine Hickey performs A Weight Off Her Chest at RPAC at 6.30pm on Friday, September 4.
Tickets are $55 from comedy.com.au/tour/geraldine-hickey.
