Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Festival debutante Madeleine Stewart entertainingly depicts the familiar life of a twentysomething seeking love – well, sex – through dating apps,  casual jobs and peculiar encounters with members of the older generation.

But there’s always a twist. That she has a disability – a congenital limb deficiency affecting one arm – gives added reason for those dates to get even more awkward or weird. It also makes her a magnet for religious types who are always offering to ‘pray for her’ – though to what intended effect she’s never quite sure – and those who insist on asking dumb questions.

Meanwhile, her gig economy jobs include life modelling, which turns out to invite extra weirdness to her life. And when she does finally find a partner, the unique eccentricities of his ultra-Aussie suburban dad, Steve, just have to be laughed at. His adage about the wearing of trousers, for example, is wisdom for the ages.

Stewart’s a likeable, engaging storyteller with a light touch. She has a natural and infectious good cheer and is always tickled by the absurdities of people – and comes eager to share that with us, too.

The ‘so brave’ of the title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to those who think she’s courageous or ‘an inspiration’ just for getting on with life. It’s the sort of ablism – so often well-meaning – that she faces every day, and that she usually laughs off, their misguided intentions easily becoming a punchline.

If she’s making any social points, it’s for the audience to deduce from the experiences she authentically describes. Although at one stage towards the end, she takes a sharp turn to make a more manifest political statement about the shocking prevalence of sexual violence against disabled women and the failures of the state support for those who most need it. It stuns the room into hush, and Stewart allows the silence to hang just long enough to let the truth sink in before she continues on her - literally - merry way.

This moment aside, So Brave is not a show with great ambition beyond being a platform for Stewart to introduce herself to audiences with a witty, honest depiction of the span of her life. Job done.

• Madeleine Stewart: So Brave is at the Malthouse today and tomorrow at 6.45pm, and Sunday at 5.45pm

Review date: 8 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival