For the last two years, I have witnessed Fadzri Rashid grow and evolve as a comedian. And this year, Fadzri returns with a brand-new show titled ‘Growing Pains’ who has taken on the mammoth task of performing an entire festival run.
After about 5 minutes of witty crowd banter, waiting for the latecomers to show up, Fadzri gets into it. Born in Malaysia, growing up in Malacca, Fadzri looks back at the growing pains of his past. He reminisces on his mischievous childhood with some hilarious stories and discusses how the events of his past have shaped the man he is today.
Fadzri also has some hilarious anecdotes of his time served in National Service, including some questionable, yet funny bullying tactics from his superiors that you’ll just have to see to believe. He also covers something that I never thought about, the time in limbo between leaving school and the year or so period prior to National Service, where most employment opportunities fall out of reach because you’re just going to leave them to serve the government.
Here is where Fadzri begins to open up about his father, talking of how his dad hooked him up with a temporary job as he waited for National Service to kick in. A job that ironically, has a funny twist relating to the mandatory service itself.
Whilst Fadzri has really honed his craft of stand-up and fantastic storytelling, Growing Pains will pull at your heart strings as he talks of his fathers passing and the events that preceded this death. From finally hearing those words of acknowledgement as his dad sat in hospital, to the hilarious banter of his fathers’ request for an electric mobility scooter.
We also hear about how, for most of his life, Fadzri has lived alone. Right from a teenager to his adult years, Fadzri cherishes his personal space and the house he’s worked hard to own. Now, with a girlfriend, Fazdri is challenged with a life of co-habitation with hilarious consequences, mixed in with jokes that smartly pull from the current political climate.
Fadzri Rashid is a cheeky but natural storyteller with the unique ability to take what would otherwise be a standard conversation and make it into something funny with little effort (he’s just so damn good at it). Fadzri isn’t afraid to say exactly what is on his mind and doesn’t hold back.
From relationship to political topics, personal experiences, and classic Malaysian vs Singaporean stereotypes, nothing is off limits, and this is what makes Fadzri Rashid the perfect comic.
Fadzri Rashid’s Growing Pains is playing as part of the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival at Melbourne Town Hall – Flag Room until April 19 and is doing an Australian tour, visiting Perth, Sydney and Brisbane next.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/growing-pains
https://www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au/event/fadzri-rashid-growing-pains
https://www.perthcomedyfestival.com/event/fadzri-rashid-growing-pains-2
https://fadzrirashid.com
https://www.instagram.com/fakkahfuzz
Photography supplied.