Critically acclaimed children performers 'The Listies' are set to bring their ROFL (Rolling On the Floor Laughing) show to Horsham on Thursday, June 30.
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The Listies are Richard Higgins and Matthew Kelly, a comedy double act who are serious about being silly.
Matt Kelly said the children of Horsham can expect to "roll on the floor laughing so hard a little bit of wee comes out".
"I wanted the show to be called ROFLSHPCO because that's what is actually what is going to happen," he said.
"We did a little bit of audience research and realised there were not enough towels."
The duo formed in 2008, performing for over 18s but switched to full time kids comedy in 2011.
"We were doing adult shows and then we decided why don't we just do a kids version as well and one day we did," Kelly said.
"It was super fun and gradually we chose to perform exclusively for kids."
"We have always had a list of things that would one day be in the show if we performed for kids," Higgins explained.
"Children are such an insane audience, they are so fun, you never know what they are going to do or say.
"It is an audience that always lets you know where you stand with them and will tell you if it's boring."
'The Listies' are more than keen to be back on the stage performing, after COVID-19 held them back for two years.
"We have toured a lot of regional areas around Victoria and we are super excited to be out of lockdown and be back on the road with our trusty toilet paper guns," Kelly said.
"We haven't been to Horsham but in the past two years we haven't been much further than 1.5km from our homes since we are based in Melbourne."
In 2019 they performed over 120 shows to tens of thousands of people all over Australia.
To date, they have written nine award-winning and critically acclaimed live shows, collaborated with most major theatre companies and festivals in Australia, toured three continents, recorded three albums, and published two books with Penguin.
In the past they have received a Sydney Theatre Award, 'The HarperCollins Best De- signed Children's Fiction Book', and the Best Independent show (Golden Gibbo Award) at Melbourne Comedy Festival, (and they are still the only kids act to have been nominated for the Comedy Festival's 'Best Show' award).
The duo look forward to their show in Horsham and hope to see plenty of people there.
"It is illegal to not come, you are not allowed to not come," Higgins joked.
"The state government has made it mandatory."
"Also whoever comes along gets a free puppy and every child in the audience gets $1000, but the parents need to provide the money," Kelly cheekily added.
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