by **** (out of 5)
When Bronwyn Kuss, a finalist in the 2018 RAW national comedy contest, returned to Melbourne with her first full show four years later, she left with a nomination for best newcomer and The Director’s Choice award, given by the festival to a performer who was worthy of praise but somehow lacking the prizes to show for it.
This year proves Kuss is worth paying attention to. Certainly more so than the overly dramatic teacher at her Catholic school, or the drunk woman she finds in the wilds near her home, Kuss is a dry, clever joke-writer whose manner and delivery evokes comparisons here in the States to Beth Stelling (herself a critical darling). On podcasting, Kuss nails a popular format with this zinger: “One woman’s violent end is another woman’s white noise.”
Never mind the behavior of her rescue dogs, the wild unsolicited pics she receives, or the therapist who wants to make the worst out of Kuss’s healthy relationship with her father. Kuss is ready for her glow up.
