After 10 years of delighting audiences around the DMV, Allan Sidley is embracing his newest challenge -- making his 17-month-old daughter Sunny laugh.
Sidley is a stand-up comedian, improviser, producer, and author of the 178-page bestselling humor book Daddy Issues: A Fatherless Comedian’s Original Jokes. Although Sidley’s own father passed away before he was one year old, as an adult comic, he quickly mastered the “dad joke” and wrote over 600 of them.
Father’s Day has historically been a dark holiday for him, but he’s recently embraced it with the release of his book and hour-long stand-up special, available on YouTube. For Sidley, every day is Father’s Day, since he and his daughter continually try to make each other laugh.
“I’ve experienced a lot of great audiences in my career who love my comedy, but her giggle takes the cake by a mile,” he said. “That smile, with her teeth showing, melts my heart every time.”
The Vienna, Virginia native, who is actively pursuing local and national club, corporate, college, and charity gigs, still considers himself a student of the comedy craft, specializing in sharp writing with a well-timed delivery. “I had to change up my formula with her, realizing I’m not above playing peekaboo and using silly animal voices to make her laugh."
Entertaining her isn’t always the easiest gig. It is Sidley’s job during fussy times to engage his daughter, and he draws comparisons to performing at a comedy club. “When I’m doing a feature spot it’s basically the same -- entertaining a bunch of inebriated babies while they wait for the main course.”
Sidley acknowledges that fatherhood isn’t just about the laughs. After a difficult start, he feels as though he's hit his stride. “It’s about spending quality time together, experiencing the world through her perspective, and sharing those joys and frustrations.”
As she gets older, he hopes his daughter will put up with his 'dad jokes' and appreciate good comedy. For Sidley, “her laugh will always be the best one.”