Werzel Montague is well known on the Perth comedy scene, having been named ‘The King of Perth Comedy’ by The West Australian newspaper at some point in his 17 years of stand-up performances. This, he admits, gives him some mixed feelings, and also presents challenges when seeking fresh material. With this in mind, he has found three developmental aspects of his life that he has not previously incorporated into his comedy.
Montague’s narrative-driven presentation of The Mental-est follows the development of spiritual and social understanding and acceptance of his protagonist, ‘Ron the Baptist’. Ron is a fictional character, definitely not Montague as a younger man, despite having lived on a similar wheatbelt farm, with similar mental health issues, and having had some similar formative spiritual experiences. The aspects of diverse trinities are further explored in old man Montague’s division of people into three types (bullshit artists, crooks, and those who get the job done), and Ron’s long ruminations upon the three key matters which define homo sapiens and all aspects of humanity.
Described this way, the show starts to sound ominously like a grimly earnest piece of experimental theatre with more messages than narrative coherence or entertainment value. However, not only did a strong and compelling story thread link the progress of the show together, each part was funny in itself as well as leading to a satisfying conclusion, resonant with poetic justice on every front.
The Mental-est manages to discuss mental illnesses, childhood trauma, the problem of suicide in rural Australia, and failed spiritual attempts without trivialising or reducing any of these serious matters to snappy punchlines. The show brings laughter again and again, provokes some deep thoughts but then reminds us that hey, life goes on and with life comes more laughter.
Montague is a self-professed bullshit artist, but when presented with such eloquence, such deep humour and keen observation of the world around us, this makes for a great performance. The Mental-est is not a light and fluffy stand up snack, but rewards close attention with profound insights amidst the bursts of soul-cleansing laughter. Montague has produced possibly the best offering from the quasi-autobiographical/confessional genre at this year’s festival.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Werzel Montague: The Mental-est
The Laugh Locker, Mount Lawley
May 16 – 19
Perth International Comedy Festival
May 2 – 20
