Part study on the stand-up process, part exploration of grief, LAUGHING MATTERS is a pensive and well structured stand-up-set meets classic one-man fringe show.
We’re introduced to Chris (written and performed by Alec Watson) through his comedy set; a young lad living with his clever and conscientious girlfriend, Jess, who supports and inspires his stand-up work. Much like a play within a play, we are a functional audience to both his intimate narrative and his comedy gigs. When Jess tragically dies, Chris’ future crumbles. We see how this affects him through his writing process as the jokes start to crumble too. With efficient use of minimal set and props we see a familiar story of grief unfold.
As his comedy audience, we experience Chris’ crowd work, a fun quirk of the show that keeps the audience on their toes. As witnesses to his story, we understand the events behind the jokes, how perhaps not every comedy set is 100% true but that funny stories can be found in our everyday lives.
Alec’s framing of the narrative in comedy is a refreshing technique. We see Chris falter in Jess’ absence: his usual set with her jokes and the stories from their life together now tarnished. His pain and anger at the loss of his love manifests through the loss of his comedy routine. The final third of the show becomes an unresolved lesson in how to move on. He searches for laughter in life and seeks to honour Jess’ quirks despite her passing. The play brilliantly explores how we can’t really separate what we create from the context it was created in; the happenings in our lives inevitably inform our art – especially when it comes to comedy.
The play touches on the theme of losing a life partner unmarried. Chris laments this wishing she’d lived long enough for him to ‘get the ring’. The quiet unnamed grief and invalidity society places on loss in an unmarried couple would be an interesting angle, unique to this story that could be further explored.
Alec gives an assured performance as Chris and demonstrates sharp and engaging character switching with clear differentiation and good use of accent work. Two effective lighting states helped punctuate these transitions. The transitions did feel meandering at times but this could perhaps be heightened by lighting and sound design in future.
Ultimately a well staged play with compelling direction (Gayane Kaligian). Alec’s clever writing and comedy skills grant a fresh, enjoyable and thought-provoking audience experience. What is lacking is the sheer highs and lows of this tragicomic story. The ending was sharp and timely, but its lead up generated wondering and a hunger for further emotional provocation.
Little time is provided to connect with Chris and his love for Jess before we are informed of her death and faced with his grief. Understandably the revelation of her death must happen promptly in order to remain within the time bounds of 60 minutes. However, the audience only witnesses her character through the lens of Chris’ jokes and the objects she’s left behind. Although charmingly done, it would serve to flesh out their connection further and her multidimensional character to really feel the hard hitting blows of Chris’ grief. What is an excellent piece of writing and performance is a bit too ‘Tea Cups’, for what could be a beautiful emotional whiplash of a show, with more Alton Tower’s ‘Oblivion’ highs of comedy and the lows of loss.
Laughing Matters plays at The Canal Cafe Theatre until Sunday 1 March 2026