No pants Penguin comedy show makes a triumphant return

A comedian who pretends to be a penguin by performing mostly naked is trying to get on television.

That's not actually a joke - Garry Starr, the starring character in comedy show Classic Penguins, really is making a bid for the small screen.

The show picked up a string of awards including most outstanding at the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and a recent run on London's west end sold out.

It's now just a few nights into a four-week return run at the Malthouse, for Melbourne's 2026 comedy festival.

The idea behind Classic Penguins is that Starr performs all of the Penguin Classic novels in an hour, in order to save books from extinction.

He does it dressed as a penguin, or rather, undressed. Starr performs in flippers and a tuxedo jacket, but no pants - because penguins don't wear pants.

Garry Starr is the alter ego of performer Damien Warren-Smith, who studied under the late clown guru Philippe Gaulier.

Warren-Smith's team pitched a comedy series to streaming and broadcast networks earlier in March, and while he is excited about one - or possibly even three - television projects in development, his heart is in live performance.

"I love live work because there's nothing standing between me and the audience but television is a whole different beast," he says.

Despite its international success, he doubts Classic Penguins in particular would ever make it to a television special.

There's far too much nudity for starters, not to mention all the release forms that would have to be filled out for audience participation.

While there has been some talk of somehow adapting the show for the small screen, it's best seen live, and there's deliberately very little Classic Penguins material to be found online, Warren-Smith says.

"I want people to be able to say, 'Oh my God, you remember that show' and describe what happened but not be able to see any footage anywhere."

The show will be part of the Netflix Is A Joke live comedy event in Los Angeles in May, and even this audience will have to put their phones away.

Having performed Classic Penguins close to 300 times, 44-year-old Warren-Smith has suffered various injuries due to book-related stunts.

Around the World in 80 Days gave him tendonitis in his knee, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest caused arthritis in an ankle and he hurt his shoulder doing a recent addition to the set, Wuthering Heights.

"I'm putting myself through the ringer, there's a lot of stuff where doing it once is not a problem but six or seven nights a week, it's tough on the body," he says.

It would be a tough call to hand the production on to another performer, Warren-Smith says, but he speculates that a female comedian could make for an entirely different show.

"I'd be really interested to hand the reins over to a woman, someone who's really willing and up for it, and see how people respond," he says.

As well as television projects, Warren-Smith is developing a new show, Too Clowns, through a series of late night performances during the festival in Melbourne.

It's also based on audience participation and he uses his clowning instincts to find the right people to get up on stage - avoiding anyone who is too enthusiastic.

Despite the volatile combination of nudity and audience participation in Classic Penguins, Warren-Smith maintains he's never had a complaint about the show.

"I'm really cautious and really aware of keeping myself and everyone else safe but I'm really surprised with how much people are willing to do," he says.

People might be outside their comfort zone being onstage with a naked man pretending to be a penguin but Warren-Smith doesn't force anyone to participate and he makes sure those that do, come off looking good.

"I think there's a reason people later on in the show are so willing to do such extreme things because they see everyone before them taken care of," he says.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival runs until April 19.