Bronwyn Kuss's new show, Bronwyn & Sons, offers a rambling look at what success looks like in your late 30s when you are broke, childfree, and your parents do not understand your job. The title comes from the dying genre of businesses named after parent and child proprietors, with Kuss wondering what happens when parents are too supportive and their children become clowns instead of bricklayers.
Kuss delivers her material with a deadpan humour that feels specifically Australian, using her broad Queensland accent. Surrounded by a small, homey set with books, plants, and soft lighting, she invites the audience into her living room to discuss what is on her mind. The performance is slow and easy, with silence lingering between sections, allowing the jokes to breathe.
This show is ultimately about coming to terms with the fact that you might not have children. Kuss has just celebrated her partner's 40th birthday, and it is becoming increasingly clear that motherhood is unlikely. However, this is not presented as melancholy or existential; rather, it is a winding journey through the different thoughts that arise from this realisation.
Kuss presents a complex and relatable perspective: what if you thought you might have children but then you did not? There is no huge turning point, just the growing awareness that a choice has passed you by. The show also contains what Kuss describes as a 'goldilocks' amount of abortion jokes.
Bronwyn & Sons is on at ACMI as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival until 19 April.
