OBSERVER: A Weight Off My Chest
Celebrating her 20th year at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Geraldine Hickey is a familiar face, and judging by the packed house at the Comedy Theatre, a very popular one. She marks the milestone with a neat piece of crowd work before the show properly begins, spotting an audience member who had seen her two decades ago and effortlessly mining the moment for laughs.
Hickey is a consummate performer. Her stand-up style is relaxed, confident and entirely unforced.
The only hint of nerves – a habitual face rub or a quick run of the hand through her trademark hair – reads less as a crack in the facade and more as part of the rhythm.
Her 2026 show, A Weight Off My Chest, centres on her decision to undergo a full breast removal.
Hickey approaches the subject with candour, rattling off the supposed “uses” of breasts and quickly discounting those that don’t apply (breast-feeding firmly among them).
What follows is a stream of sharply observed, often hilarious material about life with a large chest: the sweat, the logistical nightmare of clothing, the small fortune spent on bespoke bras, and the sheer physical burden of it all. The infamous “pencil test” earns one of the biggest laughs of the night – no explanation required for those in the know, and easily Googled for the uninitiated.
The emotional core of the show lands in a strikingly funny visual. Hickey describes watching those iconic slow-motion images of men running shirtless into the surf and realising she wanted that same carefree, unencumbered feeling. Reimagined with her former physique, the image becomes both absurd and unexpectedly poignant, neatly capturing the motivation behind her decision.
Hickey keeps things varied and dips into stories about her wife, Cath, offers an insightful and appreciative discourse on abortion, and shares a thoughtful, articulate perspective on pronouns—supportive, but she doesn’t want to play.
A Weight Off My Chest is a warm, engaging and consistently funny hour from a performer who knows exactly what she’s doing—and makes it look effortless.
Review by Beth Klein