Finding someone who deserves to scream “why me?” more than Patrick Susmilch would be an extremely difficult task. The title of his show only scratched the surface of a chronic unluckiness that seemed to latch on to the comic’s life.
Susmilch was accompanied by some multimedia, a snazzy, fast paced slideshow. But instead of feeling like a brand new experience, I was transported back to a school classroom, at my desk watching the funny, but not-quite-class-clown, kid present a slideshow about his life. It didn’t seem as if the act was painstakingly rehearsed or meticulously combed over word for word. Instead you got the sense the comic was taking a step back from constructing a careful, lethally laughy set. I saw it this way, he’s a guy talking about his life, who happens to be funny.
It felt casual, very personal, so the jokes were quite personal too. They were niche to say the least, if you’re into anime or video games you’d be doing much better than me. I still had some good laughs but the entertainment factor did not rely on humour. I feel quite horrible and slightly insensitive to say this, but it came from the sheer unbelievable frequency of deaths happening around Susmilch.
The humour sprinkled throughout the show felt like an ode to his late friends, making it feel like you were watching a late phase of processing grief in real time. The comic was easy to like and root for. It was equally tragic as it was uplifting to see that life can go on after death, and we are fortunate it did for Susmilch. It felt like an important lesson, conveyed with an earnest sincerity. Susmilch had every right to scream “why me?” and throw in the towel. Instead, he wrung out the towel for its worth, hung it up to dry and came to the fringe to remind us that the laughter shouldn’t stop. That we owe laughter to those who can’t laugh with us.
Patrick Susmilch: Texts from My Dead Friends
15:45 @ Just the Tonic at The Mash House – Just the Cask Room Aug 4-13, 15-27
