★★★
This article contains references to suicide and domestic abuse.
Ben Gaylard’s debut Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, Bright Side and Suicide, was set in the intimate Croft Institute on a small stage referred to as the “ping pong table”. Gaylard, a stay at home dad from regional Victoria, earned his claim to fame through the festival’s Raw Comedy competition back in 2017. If his debut show is anything to go by, Gaylard’s comedy has a lot of potential, as the routine featured many entertaining and wicked moments.
Gaylard’s regional roots informed a significant portion of his show’s materal. He spoke about how the city folk are so disconnected from where our food comes from. He also spoke about diversity in his town being weirdly limited to one person. But what made Gaylard’s comedy unique was its raw and honest discussion of personal and confronting topics. He spoke frankly about his suicide attempt and his experience in a mental hospital. These jokes evoked “oohs” and built tension amongst the audience, but Gaylard was a master in manipulation and used emotion to support his set.
It was clear there were moments where Gaylard found it difficult to discuss some topics. He would get lost midway through a dark joke, but he stuck through it and was able to grow confidence at the end. Although the setting was an intimate one, the audience was also highly supportive and patient with him when he would get lost.
His discussion of mental health wards was shocking. Psych ward patients throwing faeces everywhere and the experience of being admitted to an institution “because you wanted to kill yourself” was a solid and concerning set. Comedians rarely discuss horrific and personal experiences like that and it certainly paid off.
Gaylard also had a lot to say about domestic violence in the country. He spoke out about the defensiveness men have on the topic and that the statistics for women being killed from domestic violence are ridiculously high if you compare it to snake attacks. While the message was clear, the delivery and timing were a bit off as Gaylard raced between topics.
Gaylard’s comedy certainly is unique and it does an excellent job discussing some heavy topics. However, Gaylard’s set lacked confidence and self-assurance at times which caused the comedy’s true power to fall. Ultimately, Gaylard is someone to keep an eye on.
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