Cardinal Sins

Subjects like sexual abuse aren'​t usually a good basis for comedy. However, instead of internalising his experience, Frank Hampster takes his tragedy and turns it into a comedy show where he pours his heart out.

Born and bred in Ballarat, Frank Hampster was a former altar boy who was sexually abused by a Catholic priest. He recently testified at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, following which several priests were sent to jail for their crimes. 

There is a fine line between tragedy and comedy and despite Hampster's powerful efforts to walk it, the audience was silent through most of the set. The person laughing the most was Frank Hampster himself, reminiscing of funny moments in his life and even revising Australia's Waltzing Matilda into a song about the Royal Commission's investigation featuring some of the answers the priests gave. Hampster's heart is in the right place, however Cardinal Sins is more of a rant than a comedy act.