Religion often lends itself as a punching bag to the comedy realm, but few comics manage to partner downright obviously offensive comments with a healthy blend of intelligent observation. In his new show, The Anti-Chris, not only has Sydney comic Chris Wainhouse found a healthy balance between the two, he's also incorporated his own overtly religious upbringing into the mix.
At his best when throwing hilariously absurd and shocking humour around, he threw in the occasional touch of self-deprecating comedy which seemed to ultimately win over a tough Monday night crowd.
The Anti-Chris takes audience members through Wainhouse's upbringing, detailing all the wonderfully confusing religious concepts he was introduced to as a child and analysing them in depth. Some jokes may have missed the mark – remember, it was a Monday night – but if a punchline didn't quite evoke the reaction he was looking for, he would somewhat punish the audience with shockingly crude material, which turned things around. While Wainhouse is still refining the show, once The Anti-Chris is in full throttle, no one will be able to stop him.
