by Laura Ferguson
How could I possibly resist a show that has a cute, little, orange kitteh on the poster? For me, it’s impossible, so along I go to Brendon Green’s Of Consequence. Having seen Green a couple of years ago with a very feline-themed show, I was looking forward the the comedian’s brand of storytelling humour. Sitting down, I feel that same familiarity I felt last time, Green’s presence is fun, friendly and relaxing, like a bubble bath of comedy.
However, while the atmosphere is frothy and winsome, Green’s work is more tactile, he leads us through a trail of genuine experience while I hang on his every word. Of Consequence is mostly centred on his soon-to-be wife and his contemplations about where Green is in life at the moment. As he reminisces on his relationship, I find my chest fill with that bouyant welling up feeling, where I clutch my chest as I feel myself filling up with happiness and love and then Green cracks a joke and I laugh not only at the punchline but at myself for being such a clichéd romantic.
It is this ability to imbue empathy in his audience where Green shines brightest. Around me I notice couples and friends nudging each other and giving knowing looks and smiles as Green tells us anecdotes from his relationship. It is a wonderful feeling of kinship and Green’s tales become about all of us. It is rather incredible and highlights those little things in life most often considered banal, like your partner grinning at you from across the room, that are actually special and relied upon to get you through a hard day.
Brendon Green’s masterful storytelling is easy comedy to ingest but I leave with more than a belly full of laughs. Green’s self-proclaimed duty of care to ‘leave the room in an OK condition” turns our collective emotional well-being into an Airbnb metaphor and with the floating aura of positivity I carry with me as I wander home, I would say he succeeded wondrously. If I’m looking for a good time next Comedy Festival, Brendon Green’s show would certainly be of consequence.
Of Consequence plays at BATS until Saturday 25th of May. You can find tickets here.