From the moment that Sydney comic Chris Wainhouse took the stage to Iron Maiden’s The Number Of The Beast sporting an ‘I Love Jesus’ T-shirt and a devilish glint in his eye, you knew that someone or something was in for a skewering, and naturally in this instance it’s the anachronistic construct of organised religion.
Wainhouse opened with a (not too heartfelt) apology-slash-warning to any Christians in attendance, describing himself as a ‘militant atheist’, and it was soon apparent that this affliction manifested due to being raised in a household which may have embraced religion a little bit close to its bosom. Thus the show was split fairly evenly between making fun of the inherent hypocrisies of religion itself – both Christianity and Islam given even footing here – and how this affected Wainhouse growing up, specifically the trauma of having such inanities inflicted onto his actual childhood.
He used cue cards to great effect to add a visual dimension to the show, but it was the way that he attacked these taboos with such gleeful malevolence that really drew out the humour. Plus, despite reveling in their foibles, he was still quite affectionate when discussing his family, so the show remained light-hearted despite the omnipresent proximity of pathos. Wicked fun.
Turbine Studio, Brisbane Powerhouse (finished)
