Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Bron Lewis has risen so fast in Australian comedy, it’s a surprise she hasn’t got the bends. Just four years ago she was joint winner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Raw competition for the newest of acts – now she’s a TV regular, a touring stand-up filling theatres and soon-to-be published author, her former teaching career long behind her.

The appeal is easy to see. Her stories from the domestic front are highly relatable and she has an ease and command on stage that makes her a safe bet. Possibly a little too safe, however, as Chaos relies less on joke-writing and more on the connection she makes to the audience with her friendly charm and candour. She is one of those stand-ups you enjoy hanging out with, even if the routines don’t stick. 

Lewis comes to us this year with news of a full house. She has two daughters, 10 and 12 , a five-year-old son, a 43-year-old partner who works from home, a  one-year-old golden retriever and a 71-year-old mother who seems to have moved in by stealth.   

The show sees her move through each in turn, from cogitating on the big sister/little sister dynamic she has experienced first-hand, to hinting at her husband’s isolation, heading downtown to the Dog Park in the hope of human contact.

The comic portrays much of her life as the titular chaos. It’s what the dog trainer observed when arriving at Lewis’s house. It’s what a trip to the supermarket, trick or treating, or indulging the children’s obsession for collecting old bottles and cans for their ten-cent recycling value descended into. 

Lewis CUT through some of the nonsense surrounding parenting – getting straight to the things that irritate her about her offspring. That frankness clearly resonates with other mums (and a few dads) in the audience, who can be reassured they are not alone in falling short of perfection. That she gets competitive with other parents about how many children they have strikes a chord, too.

For all the content her kids provide, the stand-out routine here comes from her husband, and a revelation about his schooldays that comes as a shock to her – and which still leaves the audience with unanswered questions today.

Lewis has an affectionately teasing personality, both with her family and with the audience, making a running joke of the sad social life of a  PE teacher in the front row, for example.

It’s all really, really competent stuff. Certain to work if not as exciting as those comedians pushing themselves into new territory this festival, nor as tight as some of the more skilful joke-writers and storytellers. 

• Bron Lewis: Chaos is on at the Westin at 6.15pm (5.15pm Sundays; no show Mondays) until April 19. Two extra shows have been added for the main hall at Melbourne Town Hall at 8pm next Tuedsay and 8.15pm next Thursday.

Review date: 10 Apr 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival