Chris Wainhouse: Judged (Brisbane Comedy Festival)

It's a brave move to write a show about having done a stint in prison, if for no other reason that it's not the sort of thing you would imagine someone wanting to discuss with a room full of strangers. But Chris Wainhouse has never been shy in the past and tackles the task in his normal laconic style.

After a rambling fake start about his profile in the miniscule Charters Towers, which nonetheless manages to define some crowd parameters, Wainhouse darts off then returns to start the show afresh, this time moving quickly into the central premise. The offence itself isn't given much time ("unlawful wounding" in a bar fight, albeit a noble instance by all accounts), but its ramifications are mined for material, from the rude awakening of being given a prison sentence at trial to the intrusive nature of the processing system and then the randomness of being in general population.

Needless to say Wainhouse isn't a big fan of his situation, deeming jail horrible ("it's the people really"), but he still manages to hit comedy paydirt lampooning elements of incarceration like the welcome pack and prison nicknames, as well as unearthing some fairly memorable characters who provide plenty of laughs in translation.

Wainhouse is as dry and self-deprecating as ever and there are brilliant moments in this show, but the premise itself seems somehow awkward to a portion of the crowd. It doesn't help that it meanders at intervals — exacerbated by the constant referencing of cue cards — and then literally just peters out with a whimper. It's early days yet for Judged though, with plenty of time for it to be shaped towards his normal lofty standards as a comedy Festival season continues.