Jack McGee
Bonetown opens with host Brynley Stent giving an extensive explanation of what it means to conceptually fuck something. This is a show about picking the things you want to fuck the most, but, as Stent points out, that doesn’t mean you should be trying to figure out if you could fit your dick in it. Instead, it’s all about a more profound satisfaction, a sense of catharsis and release. It takes a while to break this all down, but we don’t mind. None of us have got over the absurdity of Stent’s leather devil suit.
The Bonetown game is very straightforward. Each of the show’s six contestants (Eli Matthewson, Barbie Duncan, Josh Thomson, Maria Williams, Sera Devcich, and Kura Forrester) have written down three concepts they’d like to fuck. These concepts are called bones. They are all tossed anonymously into a cauldron. The contestants take turns picking out two at random, and then choosing one to remove from the game. There’s various power-ups, a sprinkle of audience interaction, and the occasional twist, but this is the show in a nutshell.
As a format, it’s solid! It feels like it’s still being refined and that Stent has plenty of ways she could tighten it or ramp up the drama, but it’s more than successful as a proof of concept. It feels like watching a group of funny people play Jackbox, specifically Quiplash. There’s plenty of room for luck to set up comedic moments, which keeps the show organic and lively.
Some of the best narratives of the night include Devcich complaining about public transport and thus setting up Williams as the saviour of the windy city: “you don’t understand, we love that down here,” the contestants collectively punching up at gym culture, and an extensive debate about Calvin Klein underwear.
About midway through the show, a notable bone is pulled — “The Haka, anywhere, but specifically parliament” — and it becomes automatically clear what has to win. Matthewson does a great job serving as a winking villain, considering burning the bone in favour of one of his (a public transport related idea, unfairly maligned by his fellow Aucklanders) and even exclaiming “is there a reviewer in the audience?!” Ultimately, after milking the moment for all its worth, Matthewson does the right thing. It’s a rousing and cathartic finale.
Overall, Bonetown is a strong format with plenty of potential. Like all panel shows, it lives and dies on its guests and I’m lucky to see it with a great cast. It’s a celebration of joy, where seemingly there’s no bad answers, just things people like less
As a format, it’s solid! It feels like it’s still being refined and that Stent has plenty of ways she could tighten it or ramp up the drama, but it’s more than successful as a proof of concept. It feels like watching a group of funny people play Jackbox, specifically Quiplash. There’s plenty of room for luck to set up comedic moments, which keeps the show organic and lively.
Some of the best narratives of the night include Devcich complaining about public transport and thus setting up Williams as the saviour of the windy city: “you don’t understand, we love that down here,” the contestants collectively punching up at gym culture, and an extensive debate about Calvin Klein underwear.
About midway through the show, a notable bone is pulled — “The Haka, anywhere, but specifically parliament” — and it becomes automatically clear what has to win. Matthewson does a great job serving as a winking villain, considering burning the bone in favour of one of his (a public transport related idea, unfairly maligned by his fellow Aucklanders) and even exclaiming “is there a reviewer in the audience?!” Ultimately, after milking the moment for all its worth, Matthewson does the right thing. It’s a rousing and cathartic finale.
Overall, Bonetown is a strong format with plenty of potential. Like all panel shows, it lives and dies on its guests and I’m lucky to see it with a great cast. It’s a celebration of joy, where seemingly there’s no bad answers, just things people like less