Q&A with Jess Fuchs

You’ve performed across Australia, Europe, the UK and the US. Do audiences respond differently to your style of comedy depending on where you are?

My style is quite conversational. I describe it as sitting around a kitchen table with friends after a night out, just talking shit. That casual, chatty style seems to work across cultures. 

The biggest hurdle is my accent when I get excited. If I’m getting angry or worked up in a joke, I have to remember to slow down so people don’t get distracted by the Aussie accent. 

When I was in New York and said the word “no”, I literally heard someone in the front row imitate, under their breath, “naur”. It made me laugh so hard it derailed the joke. 

You’ve built a massive following across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Has social media changed the kind of relationship comedians have with audiences?

Occasionally you’ll get someone who heckles because they think that’s how comedy works now after watching so many clips online. Though I’ve heard older comedians tell stories about being heckled back in the day too, so I guess assholes are timeless. 

In some ways, social media has made some people more obnoxious, while others have become so passive it’s like they’re watching you on their phone instead of sitting in the room. Really, it’s just changed our social skills. 

But the amazing part is that social media has given comedians direct access to audiences, which has rarely happened in the history of showbiz. Comedians can build careers on their own terms instead of needing the traditional gatekeepers to decide they’re worthy. 

Chortle compared your wit to Joan Rivers. Did growing up watching bold female comics influence your voice?

I guffawed when I was compared to Joan Rivers. What an iconic compliment!

I didn’t have access to a ton of stand up on TV when I was young. In my pre-teens, I was mostly on a steady diet of after-school TV shows where women reigned comedically supreme. From The Nanny to Bewitched, Kath & Kim to Sabrina the Teenage Witch. They were eccentric, complicated and completely at the centre of every episode. 

Once I had access to the internet, it was game over. I discovered Joan Rivers, Chelsea Handler, Sarah Silverman, Mo’Nique and Margaret Cho. These bold, outrageous, playful women were loud and unapologetic. 

That combo of female comedians and iconic TV leads definitely shaped my style, both comedically and visually. I love a bold, ridiculous outfit to complement the material. 

The show sounds deeply personal while still feeling universal. Do you think audiences connect most strongly with comedy that admits imperfection?

My favourite jokes to develop and perform are ones with the undertone of, “You probably shouldn’t admit that.”

The jokes where I admit imperfection tend to be what people connect with the most. They’re the anecdotes audiences mention as they’re leaving the show, or DM me about later. 

There’s a universality not necessarily in the specifics of what I’m admitting, but in watching someone say the thoughts or beliefs they’re wrestling with out loud. I think people connect to the emotion even more than the joke sometimes. 

How quickly can you tell if an audience is going to be fun to crowd work with?

Usually based on the level of cheering you can tell if a crowd is energetic or if they’re sitting a little too comfortably in their chair, treating the theatre seats like a damn Lazy Boy. 

I’ll give the sleeper crowds credit, though! Sometimes the shy and quiet ones come out with the most unhinged responses to crowd work. 

That’s the fun of chatting with an audience: you never know what you’re gonna get. (jumpscare to close out these answers with a sudden Forrest Gump reference!)

Jess Fuchs: Feral performs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 5^th – 30^th August (not 18^th). For more information visit: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/jess-fuchs-feral