My first SF Sketchfest show in 3 years! And it’s a double header of shows from my personal SF Sketchfest past at the wonderful Brava Theater Center! The festival has been rescheduled twice, and I am so happy to finally be doing it! The first one is this wonderful stand-up performance from River Butcher and opener Hayden Kristal.
River Butcher is a comedian I first learned about during a podcast taping at SF Sketchfest 2015, and he has been on my top five favorite comedian list ever since. I saw him once a year since then at SF Sketchfest; well, until 2020-2022 didn’t happen (but that’s another story I don’t think any of us really want to talk about). Turns out a lot has changed with River Butcher since I last saw him in 2019, but it is all for the best.
On to the show! I was happily surprised when Hayden Kristal walked out since I immediately recognized her as someone I follow on TikTok. Yay! Then I quickly felt the shame that I hadn’t put two and two together sooner. I have no excuse, but I was so happy I got to see her set!
She is deaf and started her set in ASL with no microphone, wanting that to be obvious and possibly wanting the audience to feel the discomfort of having a performer not speak your primary language. The dead silence was uncomfortable but also funny as she told her first joke without speaking. It was only a minute of discomfort, though, and she went back to the microphone and explained. It got a huge laugh of relief.
If I had to pick a theme for Krystal’s comedy, clever use of discomfort would be it. She spoke about deafness, animals, and autism, all in a way that was shocking and darker than expected. She was hilarious and easily pushed those boundaries, and the audience went along for the ride. Laughs and claps were loud and abundant.
There were also ASL interpreters for the whole show, which I imagined was due to Krystal being deaf. Still, since I have seen them at other SF Sketchfest shows, I was hoping it would be for all of the SF Sketchfest shows this year, but show number two and three did not have them, which was a disappointment for me (some shows I didn’t go to have had them). Two interpreters shared the time and did a fabulous job, adding some color and interest to the show. The way they sign is so expressive it is like having two comedians on stage! The taking turns was interesting in itself; it seemed like they needed a break from the intensity of trying to keep up with these comics. Which was funny in itself. So many things I never have to think about in my hearing world…
Let’s get to the point now, River Butcher. He was great, and the audience was really on board to go on a journey with him. It seems he’s built more of an audience and even more confidence since I last saw him in 2019. The material was well thought out, silly, and clever, though I would guess that just under half of it was still being worked out. There were a couple of jokes where Butcher made comments about how well they did or didn’t work. It made for an intimate feeling night of laughs, which was much needed at the end of a hard week!
What River Butcher did most beautifully was touch on controversial subjects with grace and ease. He has a way of breaking through the wall between audience and performer where you can listen to the jokes from a place of empathy and understanding that I find to be rare and thrilling. He is able to discuss being a queer, bisexual, trans man, and former lesbian in a way that makes complicated labels, the joke, and the humanity and ridiculousness of the experience so relatable. His jokes about getting used to using the men’s bathroom are especially fun and insightful.
Thank you, SF Sketchfest, for giving me this evening of strong comedians who are certainly not the “normal” type (whatever that is). I hope this is a window into the future of comedy. I’m here for it!
