Review – Benn Bennett: Perfectly Mowed Lawn

Accompanied by the rich tones of his Roland keyboard, a Powerpoint presentation and a pineapple, Benn Bennett serves us a unique evening of observational cabaret.

Bennett sketches us a superb suburbia. His show features the car parks, the cats, and the characters of his local home in a west Melbourne suburb. Through Benn’s eyes the mundane becomes personable and rich in meaning; even the local neighbourhood cat’s character is explored in detail. We learn to love the doilies, the nonnas, and the trades people who feature in the musical melodrama of Benn’s daily existence.

This is an amusing night of musical entertainment rather than a comedy show; Benn is here to share his story and his songs rather than crowd a night with one-liners. His relaxed delivery and personable material is a refreshing contrast to the town hall stand-up fare dominating this comedy festival.

The theme of the evening is subtle and slow to emerge; what does a house say about a person? What does the state of your lawn reveal? But if you’re patient it will all fall into place by the end.

Join Benn for a highly original and genuinely pleasing jaunt through back yards of the burbs of Melbourne. This is cabaret like you’ve not seen before.