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Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife
Stage 21, The Sanctuary State at Holy Trinity Anglican Church (10037 84 Ave.)
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5 Stars out of 5
When I was a much younger man attending my first Fringe shows (waaay back in the late ’90s), stand-up comedy wasn’t, to my recollection anyway, a regular feature of the fest.
I’ve enjoyed seeing more comedians take to the stage, and Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife is the perfect example of a show that fits the Fringe ethos.
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While some of the humour in Stewart Huff’s uproarious stand-up show may have you wondering whether you’re doomed to eternal damnation, he’ll have you laughing in the pews at Holy Trinity.
For an hour, Huff combines his Southern charm and storytelling ability with incisive humour about what unites and divides us. It’s the best Kentucky blend since Harland Sanders concocted his 11 herbs and spices.
Whether it’s sillier material about taxidermy and a moonshiner’s obsession with bigfoot, or weightier subject matter like anti-science conservatives (“If you took science out of NASCAR, you’d have running!”) and the titular story about becoming Uncle Baby Daddy, he takes no prisoners.
I mean, of course, socially conscious comedy may be custom suited for a Canadian Fringe festival, but this is material Huff has admitted is road tested in potentially more hostile locales in his American homeland. And that’s perhaps why it feels all the more genuine and heartfelt. He’s taking aim at targets, but not punching down at them.
Huff doesn’t puff, but he brings the house down.
Find more reviews of the 2023 Edmonton International Fringe Festival in the Arts section at EdmontonJournal.com.
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