This new play by writer/performer Alec Watson, Laughing Matters, introduces stand-up comedian Chris to the stage.
He has a flipchart full of material from his life – you can make up references to home, driving, and the minutiae of a relationship. The moments that raise a chuckle on stage.
Once Chris receives a call backstage during a set where he’s acting as MC, his world totally changes, as does the play. That it works so beautifully is a tribute to Watson and his director Gayane Kaligian.
On the surface, Laughing Matters is all about being a comedian, and what a laugh is really about. A man, a microphone, a chair (covered), that flipchart full of hardly legible words.
Underneath, it is about comedy as a coping mechanism, a barrier against catastrophic events. We see Chris both on-stage and off-, at work and at home.
He interacts with his audience, and takes advice from those on the periphery. He offers stories that click, and disturb. Without adding spoilers, Watson doesn’t overload the change in Chris’s life, but shows us how the little things can act as a defence or a trigger.
Performed at the Canal Cafe Theatre – and in this recording, presented with pin-sharp video and sound – this is a sharp 60 minutes that approaches a difficult topic with humour and thoughtfulness.
Tightly written and sparsely staged, there are some similarities with Gail Louw’s ADHD? WTF is ADHD! which also had on-stage moments interspersed with off-stage reflection, but Laighing Matters offers an original perspective on a topic that could have been simply dry and dark.
4 stars.
Laughing Matters was at Canal Cafe Theatre last month. Follow the show’s Instagram for news of any future performances.
Photo credit: Back On Films