Joel Creasey

Joel Creasey is an actor and Australian stand up comedian. He has toured both nationally and internationally. Creasey has performed sold-out runs at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as performing at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2013 and 2014.^[1] Creasey is also known as the Acid Tongue Prince.^[2]

Early life

Creasey was born in Perth.^[3] He first attempted stand-up comedy when he was fifteen years old. Creasey came out to his family and friends in 2007, when he was sixteen.^[4] He attended secondary school at Wesley College, and was later studying Political Science at Curtin University when he decided to drop out and focus on his career as a stand-up comedian.^[5]

Stand-up career

When Creasey was seventeen, he entered Raw Comedy, a national stand-up competition; and made it to the state finals in Perth.^[3] Creasey made his Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut in 2010, with a show entitled Slumber Party. The show earned Creasey a nomination for Best Newcomer at the end of the festival. In 2011, Creasey presented his second show, Political Animal, at multiple comedy festivals. His third show, Naked, saw Creasey gain considerable media attention and positive reviews.^[6] This was followed in 2013 with The Drama Captain, which saw Creasey sell out 23 consecutive shows in Melbourne and receive Best Show nominations at both the Sydney and Perth Comedy Festivals.

In 2014, he started touring with his fifth festival show, Rock God, which gained him significant media coverage and a sold-out national tour.^[7] Creasey toured the show to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Later, he participated in the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, Canada, before presenting Rock God at the Fringe Festival in New York City.^[8] Creasey also toured Rock God to the Soho Theatre in London. The late Joan Rivers, upon seeing his act, booked him to open for her in New York in August 2014.^[4]

In late 2014, it was revealed that Creasey had been selected to host the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala. It was announced in early 2015 that Creasey's sixth festival show will be titled The Hurricane and is set be toured both nationally and internationally.

Television work

Creasey has appeared regularly on Australian television in the 2010s. His credits include co-hosting The Circle and appearing as a panelist on The Project, Tractor Monkeys, Studio 10 and A League of Their Own; as well as appearances on 20 to 1 and It's a Date.^[9] Creasey has also performed televised stand-up on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala, Comedy Up Late and Just for Laughs; as well as heading up the winning team on the Comedy Festival's Great Debate for 2014.

It was revealed in February 2015 that Creasey would be one of the contestants on the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!^[10] Creasey lasted 41 days on the show, eventually being eliminated on March 10, 2015.

Reception

Creasey's shows have received positive reviews. The New York Post named his stand-up show Rock God as one of the top five events of the New York Fringe Festival.^[11] Under The Gun's review called it "a side-splittingly funny 70-minute display of stand-up that moves at a frantic pace of several laughs per minute..."^[12]

Time Out also reviewed Rock God positively, writing that "the relentlessly hilarious 23-year-old has the chops of a much more seasoned performer, and the charisma of an inevitable star.".^[13] The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that "he's a confident storyteller – energetic, concise, but conversational – with a ruthless wit and an infectious oh-my-god enthusiasm."^[14]

Controversy

In 2011, Creasey was abused and chased by an aggressive group of teenagers after his show in Colac. He was presenting at Straight Shooters anti-discrimination event, held by local community group DYNAMIC. The group of teenagers threatened to beat Creasey and his friends for being homosexual.^[15] In 2014, Creasey returned to Colac with fellow comedian Rhys Nicholson as a part of an ABC documentary entitled Gay Crashers.

Personal life

Creasey has two sisters and is based in Melbourne.^[11] It was revealed on an episode of Australian podcast The Little Dum Dum Club that Creasey's parents own a McDonald's restaurant in suburban Perth. He is openly gay^[6] and was in a relationship with American comedy writer Jeffery Self from 2014 to 2015. They met while he was in America for the Fringe Festival.^[16]

Stand-up shows

• Slumber Party (2010)
• Political Animal (2011)
• Naked (2012)
• The Acid Tongue Prince (2012; live DVD)
• The Drama Captain (2013)
• Rock God (2014, 2015)
• The Hurricane (2015)

References