Comedy                                                       DeLuxe, The Pleasure Garden         Saturday 7th February

In the compact crescent of the DeLuxe, I witnessed a rare comical species: the politically correct comedian. Not only was Bart Freebairn promoting political correctness in his show, he made it humorous without targeting stereotypes or discriminating against races, religions or genders.

I bet you’re left thinking, “What the hell does his show involve then?”

Freebairn explains at the end of his show that he tries to vary each performance by improvising and joking about the first thing that enters his brain. He could talk about Perth’s split personality or sporting teams named after animals or even loose units on pingers. The possibilities are endless, but the one thing you won’t find at Freebairn’s show is audience participation. He’s quickly caught on that involvement in shows isn’t the forte of Perth audiences.

If you’re lucky, Freebairn might even chat about God’s greatest creation:
ice cream (hence the title Double Happiness). Over the years Freebairn has observed that ice cream has become a necessity for adults, and as a result, has lost the magical appeal that mesmerized us as kids. We simply can’t have plain old vanilla anymore. As adults we need something fancier, something like “Vanilla Bean”. No, wait – “Madagascan Vanilla Bean”. The more adjectives the name has, the fancier it’s viewed (just look at the Ben & Jerry’s flavours).

Hopefully Freebairn expresses his philosophy on fitness as well if you see his show. It’s not even humorous, it’s honestly just a really good way to look at life. Why worry about how unfit and out of shape you are? Why waste money on equipment and trainers that strengthen you body muscles when it’s you mental strength that gets you through life? Your mind has made it this far in life, and Freebairn believes that’s worth celebrating.

It was a delight watching an entertainer thoroughly enjoying their practice -  if he had his way he wouldn’t have stopped performing. For him, comedy’s not only an opportunity to amuse audiences but also a chance to communicate positive messages and perspectives in an engaging atmosphere.

Bart Freebairn – Double Happiness is running until Wednesday 11th February. Check it out in the Fringe Guide here.