Rising comedian Anthony Locascio is preparing to embark on a major tour for his latest show titled ‘Pappou’, a work of great personal significance that highlights the deep connection between himself and his Greek grandfather.
Locascio (who has Greek and Italian roots) has been touring the country with his newest work this year, even going to London’s West End for a performance in August, and he is now raring to showcase it in New Zealand in November and Canada in February 2025.
In between those dates, he is all booked for his first solo show at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre this coming January, a feat that he has not taken lightly.
“Of course, I won’t pretend that getting to do the show at Enmore Theatre in January is anything short of a dream come true. I watched Thanos Petrelis perform there when I was 12 and have dreamed of doing the same ever since,” Locascio told Neos Kosmos.
“Very few Sydney comedians ever get to do a solo show there, and I thought it might take me 25 years to ever do so. Somehow, it has only taken me seven, which is beyond humbling.”
Locascio stated that it is quite thematic that this show is helping him reach milestones in comedy as it centres around how much his personal journey into his passion has resonated with him in comparison to his pappou’s own professional dream.
The 32-year-old comedian explained, without giving away too much of the story which he shares in the show, that his grandfather was a very promising goalkeeper in Greece during the mid-1950s.
“Pappou was the starter for Panargiakos at 17-years-old and had booked a trial with Olympiacos,” he said.
Locascio elaborated that his grandfather (born in Argos) eventually joined his uncle in moving to Australia, and that he was on the infamous Montserrat ship, which almost had a mutiny in 1959 and had to stop in Colombo for a week.
He revealed his grandfather eventually arrived in Adelaide and played for Adelaide Olympic, slowly becoming the top goalkeeper in the state and even being selected for the provisional interstate Australian squad in 1959 (now known as the Socceroos).
“However, due to an unfortunate turn of events which I describe in the show, Pappou’s football dream came to an end,” he said.
Locascio admitted he was able to draw many parallels between his pappou’s journey and his own, something else they share in addition to their similar personality traits.
“But more pertinently, I see myself as the beneficiary of the sacrifice my grandfather (and all my grandparents) made to the point where I am privileged to be in a position to freely chase my dream, the way my immigrant grandfather was unable to chase his,” he said.
The comedian shared that he conceived of the show after his grandfather fell ill, which made him pivot from the show he had originally planned for 2024 and drafting a new one as a means of telling his grandfather’s story.
“It had me contemplating his life and I realised that the things I was writing about (vape addiction, the notion of what it means to be a man in 2024, and of course, the challenges of chasing a dream) were all quite relevant to my grandfather’s life,” Locascio said.
“I took it as an opportunity to tell the story of his life – which just happens to be a pretty compelling story in its own right – and honour his legacy. Pappou will often feel that he didn’t accomplish a lot in life, and I wanted to show him that this is absolutely not the case.”
Another central aspect of the show is in describing their relationship, with Locascio highlighting the struggle his grandfather has had in accepting he is now an adult and no longer a child that needs to be protected.
The comic explained that his pappou was the one to teach him about jokes, and so actively wanted to help him (even writing down a summary of all his jokes in case Locascio wanted to use them on stage).
“A true aversion to being told what to do is something that characterised Pappou’s entire life, and ultimately it is what made me want to be a comedian in the first place,” he said.
Being able to incorporate his life into my work, and honour him in a way I don’t think he has been before, is honestly the most meaningful thing I have ever done.”
Locascio expressed his pleasure in how people have resonated with the show (which blends storytelling and traditional stand-up along with crowd interaction) and is excited to perform it on a bigger stage.
“My pappou is yet to see the show, but I’m going to try my best to drag him to the one at Enmore Theatre.
The show has the following upcoming dates planned: Hellenic Club WA (26 October, Perth), Good Chat Comedy (8 November, Brisbane), Odysseus Club (16 November, Wellington), The Classic (23 November, Auckland), Enmore Theatre (12 January 2025, Sydney) and Montreal/Vancouver/Toronto (February 2025).