Comedy Festival review: Soft Carnage, Brynley Stent

Brynley Stent. Photo / Andi Crown

Brynley Stent has firmly established herself as one of New Zealand's best character comedians. After her breakout 2017 show, Escape from Gloriavale, and multiple appearances in the Basement's annual Christmas plays, there is no denying her skills as an actress, a comedian, and an expert of finding the bizarre and surreal in any topic.

Her shows have rarely been about her though, with another character or heightened version of herself always at the centre. For her latest show, Soft Carnage, Stent is still as wacky and dark as ever, but this time she's put more of her own experiences into her most personal show yet, while at the same time spending a full hour arguing against that style of comedy.

That argument is explored in a literal sense as she sets her show within a therapy session. Her therapist wants Stent to stop making jokes and discuss her feelings, but the topics of conversation keep prompting Stent into a new sketch, each one darker than the last.

Her opening sketch about a flight attendant terrified of flying sets the tone for the black comedy to come, matched by heightened takes on issues like a fear of dropping babies and being stuck on hold at the IRD. Stent is also more physical in this show, with several dance breaks and a spot of mime, notably during a sketch about her boyfriend going to the bathroom during the night.

The therapist framing device gives the show a tighter focus than her previous solo show, Filthy Little Goblin. The same erratic, frantic energy is present here, but the faux setting gives the show a through line that helps tie all the sketches together into a madcap ending. The reliance on a projector does prove a liability at times, but Stent's relaxed approach keeps the show moving even when her slides don't.

While the show initially feels like a simple exploration of Stent's dark sense of humour, we learn early on that she lost her mother as a teenager. It's a topic she could have based the entire show around – something that could have appealed to the Billy T judges – but Soft Carnage feels the antithesis of that, with Stent rejecting the suggestion she should spend an hour "being serious" and instead celebrates comedy and a sense of humour.

It's a beautiful twist that serves as a tribute through Stent's unique point of view. All those elements put together make this marvellous show Stent's best yet, a darkly joyful hour that celebrates the power of laughter even when venturing into the bleakest of topics.

What: Soft Carnage, Brynley Stent
Where: Basement Theatre, until May 22