A parody of a paradigm _{by Alessia Belsito-Riera}

Still soggy from jumping into the Bucket Fountain with his surfboard a few weeks ago, comedian Sandy Burton will now be making a splash with his new comedy special Tubs of Fun! at the Newtown Community Centre on the 8^th, 9^th, 16^th, and 17^th of May. While under duress of a local hot tub company who have forced their sponsorship upon him, the genre-pushing, 2020 Wellington RAW Comedy Quest-winning, joke-slaying, stay-at-home-dad party starter will present brand-new material that he hopes will submerge audience in litres of laughter. I took the plunge to ask him what the deal is on (hot) Tubs of Fun!

What do you love about comedy?

I love comedy because when you are bent over in a fit of hysterical laughter, it has got to be one of the best feelings you can experience on planet Earth. It has the power to suspend you in a moment of absolute, unadulterated joy. As a comedian, you get to create those moments for others, and for me that is an unparalleled natural high. Comedy is a marvellous tool for celebrating a sense of community and communicating ideas. It has an almost divine power to send a message to the brain but also right to the heart. When a joke lands, it causes a bizarre physiological reaction we call laughter – this part of the human experience is still very much shrouded in mystery. It is the mechanics of a joke and how they can cause this response in us that draws me in as a comedian. I believe comedy is an essential part of our survival as it is an antidote to adversity. Paleoanthropologists state that early hominids would strive to instigate laughter when coming across a stranger for the first time. These scientists believe early humans would do this in order to present as a friend rather than foe; to share a moment of laughter together would potentially disarm any threatening advances. Comedy is my love language!

How would you describe your style?

My style of comedy includes meticulously crafted social commentary that is simultaneously astute and absurd. My shows include a range of routines centred on political satire, anecdotal storytelling, and a somewhat meta-deconstruction of stand-up itself. My comedy never punches down but sometimes turns the oppressor into a target!

Where did the idea for Tubs of Fun! come from?

My favourite comedy specials are ones that have an overall narrative arc or a commitment to a theme. The through-line of Tubs of Fun! is based on the idea of how it is increasingly difficult to discern genuine content from sponsored advertising. Advertorial journalism was once at the forefront of this commercial trickery but with sponsored content now running rife on social media, it has become even more contrived yet also more convincing. Tubs of Fun! is a parody of this paradigm.

What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

My goal with Tubs of Fun! is for audiences to escape from the reality of their day-to-day lives. My show is an attempt to explore and push the genre into new territory, to create a live experience that feels totally original.