By Cathy Culliver.Â
If My Dadâs Deaths is anything to go by, Jon Bennettâs father has an uncanny knack for staying alive, and making his loved ones think heâs dead.
Bennettâs latest show is a funny and at times genuinely touching look at his relationship with his conservative, no-nonsense father and the times he had sincerely thought heâd lost him for good. And considering the man has apparently had a heart attack, fallen off a ladder five times and started three bushfires, itâs suffice to say Bennett has plenty of material to go with.
Bennettâs style is more storytelling than traditional stand up, and itâs an art form heâs mastered well. Best known for his tongue-in-cheek, internationally acclaimed show Pretending Things are a Cock, Bennettâs newest offering is a natural step into more mature and thoughtful comedy, and is a great platform to show off what he does best.
The show takes the audience through Bennettâs childhood growing up on a pig farm in rural South Australia, where his father was a hard man to avoid â he was Bennettâs school teacher, his football coach, his schoolâs bus driver and the local minister. Apparently also a deeply serious man, Bennettâs dad never swears â unless of course his son has just shot him in the chest, but youâll have to see the show to hear the rest of that story.
Bennett also intersperses his show with hilarious poetry, brought on by the fact his dad wanted him to be like Banjo Patterson. Donât expect any rhyming couplets or sweeping metaphors though â Bennettâs poetry style is more about graphic descriptions of birth and quoting status updates from one of the more culturally-challenged of his 1200+ Facebook friends. The result is very funny and makes for a good break between stories of his dad, well, dying.
Bennett is warm, engaging and very likeable. He is a master storyteller, and has the audience hanging on his every word. At times itâs easy to feel like youâre just hanging with a friend who happens to be telling you particularly entertaining stories about his life, such is Bennettâs natural charisma.
My Dadâs Deaths is an unaffectedly honest and entertaining show from a gifted local talent and one of the best storytellers youâre ever likely to see.
Jon Bennett â My Dadâs Deaths is showing at LOOP Project Space and Bar on Sunday 8Â April, then at Tuxedo Cat from Thursday 12 April onwards.
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2012/season/shows/my-dad-s-deaths-jon-bennett/