Steve Hughes: Nervous Breakthrough

Great comics are able to raise a mirror to the world, show its horrors and release a cathartic laugh from the audience. Truly great comics are able to stare into that mirror and still make us laugh. And from this, we can say Steve Hughes is a comedian at the top of his game.

The "metalhead comic" appeared on stage rocking a very different look than what most fans would know him for, black jeans and band T-shirt replaced with slacks and a button-up shirt. Probably most striking was his new short cropped hairstyle, Hughes explained that he decided to either "cut the hair or the wrists".

The nexus of his latest show Nervous Breakthrough come from Hughes' own breakdown at the end of nearly five years of continuous touring. His mental burnout led to a near suicide attempt followed by months of taking anti-depressants culminating in three months in rehab in Thailand. HILARIOUS!!

This was an evening which came with many uncomfortable silences. Hughes would milk these for all they were worth, before dropping devastating punch lines that would have the audience roaring with laughter. Though this is not a show for the faint-hearted, there were a few walkouts (including one guy who decided coming to the show on LSD was a good idea!).

Hughes easily jumped from story to story: tales of dry parties in rehab with trance DJs, Buddhist monk road rage, heroin connoisseurs and his personal feelings about being dumped by his longtime partner for a Nazi (and not the well-dressed kind either!)

If you go with an open mind and a willingness to laugh at the truly dark side of the human experience, this is a show you will walk out of questioning your opinions on mental health as well as an uncomfortable smile on your face.