Review by Steve Bennett

He’s best known for a show called Pretending Things Are A Cock, but in this skilful slice of storytelling, Jon Bennett has most definitely matured.

Fire In The Meth Lab revolves around his relationship with his older brother, who tormented him as a child and ultimately span off the rails when he got involved with drugs. Any more on his criminal activities, Bennett asks us to keep within the four safe walls of the performance, but the title gives a tiny clue.

However, an alternative name for the show, he suggests, would have been How To Love An Asshole, as the captivating anecdotes he regales us with illustrate a relationship that goes nastier than sibling horseplay. Brother Tim was an irritant, a bully... and a full-on Jason Donovan fan.

A board game dedicated to the Eighties pop pin-up forms a recurring element – a one-joke idea that nonetheless retains its effect over repetition – while more structure comes from letters exchanged between brothers about the genesis of this show. They are PowerPointed on to a screen as they are read out – unnecessary, really, especially as viewers can finish the slide ahead of the audio, and the charismatic Bennett should have more faith in his enviable ability to hold a crowd without such visual crutches.

The questionable choices Tim made have lead to some great stories, encompassing Christian retreats, drunken brawls and a dread of doctors. Bennett plays some for laughs, some for drama, and backs some with insight into their contrasting personalities.

Although ultimately a cautionary tale – who could have known a meth addiction could have a downside? – Bennett also considers why his life hasn’t gone the same way. After all, he’s from the same ultra-religious upbringing and tried the odd substance, as he describes in an hilarious flashback. ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’

Whether it’s really a redemptive morality tale is probably a moot point; but this is an entrancing hour of compelling stories, placed in a wider context. It’s not a five-laughs-a-minute stand-up show; but a witty and frank demonstration of the storyteller’s art.

Review date: 16 Apr 2013
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival