Matt Jenner: Ingrown {Adelaide Fringe 2024} – Comedy Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

No, he’s not one of those Jenners. Kylie, Kendall? No, not at all. Far from it. He is Matt, and he is far more talented, if you ask me!

Ingrown is the Adelaide debut solo show for Melbourne based sketch and improv comedian Matt Jenner. The show consists of a wild and wacky ride of sketches starring even wilder characters from the mind of Matthew including The Grunce, a scared chihuahua in a handbag, the long lost brother of Colonel Sanders, Earl and so many more.

In the secret basement of the WEA building in Adelaide sits a funky and intimate little venue called The Secret Basement, how fitting. It seats about 30 or so people, with a small stage and plenty of great lighting to set the mood. For this show there was only one thing on stage, a multi coloured side table with a drawer at the top and a cupboard underneath. Simple.

Ominous music plays as you enter the ‘theatre’ and take your set. After some minutes to settle in, we meet our first character of the show, handcuffed and wearing an orange jumpsuit from head to toe. 

After some intense (and intensely funny) mad dogging we soon get to know Schirm the Prison Worm, a hard prison inmate with a motor mouth and no filter who welcomes us to the asylum and sets the mood for the night. Things are going to get weird.

It’s easy to see that Matt is great fun and an even better comedian, transforming between characters with some simple costume changes or small props. A bandana around the neck making him a French love machine, or a bolo tie has him embodying a thick southern American twang. One I really loved was his use of a mobile phone on stage, framing the scene and character in a really unique and creative way.

Matt’s crowd work and interactions are also on point, asking questions of the audience members and using their responses to fuel his mad personalities and flex his improv muscles. There were a few times he was caught off guard by the replies he received but recovered well and barely faltered. Matt’s reactions in these moments just added to the hilarity of the show.

Now I must admit, this brand of comedy may not be for everyone. It’s weird, wild and hilarious and may be hard to follow for some. But for me, I absolutely loved it! I was howling with laughter, gnawing with cuteness and lapping it all up. I was actually a little sad when it finished.

Matt Jenner’s Ingrown is fantastic and I’m absolutely keen to see what Matt Jenner comes up with next!

Matt Jenner is currently performing Ingrown as part of Adelaide Fringe 2024 at Basement at Secret Basement @ WEA until March 3.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/matt-jenner-ingrown-af2024
https://www.instagram.com/mattwjenner

Photography supplied.

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