My Dad's Deaths

Company: JonBennettComedy.com, Melbourne, Australia

Genre: Comedy

Venue: 22 - Shannon's Irish Pub

 

Hinging on the idea that he a) fears his dad’s death, and b) fears/accepts disappointing his dad, Bennett presents his relationship in the form of a sort of comical case study.

—Sarah Michaelson

Australia's Jon Bennett (of Pretending Things Are a Cock fame) returns to the Winnipeg Fringe with a show that combines stand-up, storytelling and comedic slideshow (which reminds me, get a seat with good sightlines).

Hinging on the idea that he a) fears his dad's death, and b) fears/accepts disappointing his dad, Bennett presents his relationship in the form of a sort of comical case study.

As he itemizes his dad's near-deaths, plenty of laughs pop up from his point-form notes on the screen. Bennett's stage presence is warm and energetic with a touch of crass -- he is famous for phallic visual gags, after all.

There are a few sections in the show that are solely there for the sake of being funny -- mocking stupid Facebook status updates, in particular -- that steal attention away from the emotional potential of child/parent relationships. Yes, those parts are amusing but have less of a "point" in a show with such a strong premise.

Nonetheless, Bennett has really great timing and the ability to embellish the truth with charm.