Words: Alex Grunberg
Image: Ollie Craig

4 Stars

Alexander Bennett wants to know – are you honest?

The show starts off with a challenge, a series of questions that turn increasingly personal, and a surprise, as Bennett invites the audience to take a risk with him. The result is a unique and creative piece that takes the notion of audience participation further than I’ve seen done in other comedy shows. He has created an intimate experience, voyeuristic, where even those who stay in the observing role feel like part of Bennett’s story, more like he selected us than we selected to enter the theatre. And from there, he continues to surprise us, switching up quiet vulnerability with outrageous anecdotes, songs, and unexpected props. The jokes, from dark to light-hearted fun, circled back on themselves in unpredictable ways, surprising and sometimes a little disorienting.

While the arc of the show builds a purposeful air of discomfort – that sense of risk that we welcome at Bennett’s offer – this clever performer carries his story with a positive purpose that keeps you rooting for him, that does not leave you lost in the unease. We want that resolution, for him and for the participants that rise to his challenge. 

A very unique comedy experience. 

ALEXANDER BENNETT: EMOTIONAL DAREDEVIL 
Gilded Balloon, Patter House – Coorie
18:20
Aug 26