Funny As Sin – Sydney Comedy Festival (NSW)

Written and performed by Concetta Caristo & Ben Kochan

Review by Caitlin A. Kearney

4 STARS

You wouldn’t have won any points for guessing that Concetta Caristo and Ben Kochan were excited to be performing at the Enmore Wildflower Wine Bar. ‘So,’ Caristo said, beaming out at the crowd, ‘we sold out the Enmore Theatre!’

Caristo and Kochan are a couple who normally perform stand-up independently of each other, and have now combined their energies into a double act. After an extended intro– during which we were given a wealth of insight into their loving, albeit comedy-rich relationship– the two took it in turns to deliver some of their own solo stand-up. For this main portion of the show, the comic not performing sat to the side of the small stage and followed along with looks of what can only be described as total adoration. Occasionally they would even deliver some words of affirmation, anticipation, or playful criticism– despite, as they pointed out, having experienced the show themselves many times before.

Caristo’s method is to deliver her material in a manner so inviting, nonchalant, and gentle that you have no warning when she says something absolutely depraved as a throwaway at the end of the sentence. These moments when she startled us were her best. Kochan was similarly friendly and relaxed in his approach, but instead took us on flights of whimsy rather than telling real anecdotes, and the silliness was very satisfying. One had to wonder how much the two have rubbed off on each other style-wise given the similarities between them when it came to delivery.

Regardless, the effect was that they complimented each other nicely. There was nothing terribly believable about Caristo and Kochan’s insistence that they ‘quibble as much as the next couple’. These two could barely keep their eyes off each other, which only added to the humour.

With a delightfully absurd finale that was impossible to see coming, Funny As Sin is a fun little jaunt through the relationship of two comics who seem set to continue checking off goals on their comedy career bucket lists.

---

Funny As Sin played at Enmore Wildflower Wine Bar on 7 & 8 May 2022. They tour to Brisbane Comedy Festival 10-15 May 2022, tickets can be booked here.

Follow Concetta Caristo and Ben Kochan on Instagram @concettaworldwide and @benkochan.