The Reviews Are Coming In Thick And Fast.
Review: Stephen K Amos @ Adelaide Fringe 2026
We are human. The only species on the planet which purposely makes our fellow species laugh.
A quick Q&A around the room had us pondering noises in the animal kingdom, but the closest we likened it to was a ticklish gorilla. Babies laugh before they utter a word, and ‘peek-a-boo’ is the oldest joke in the book. What is it about human connection through this paradox which makes laughter so infectious, and why is there a need for it? We know it releases endorphins through the amygdala which can go as far as to take away physical pain. Stephen K Amos didn’t just walk on stage as comedic virtue, he shape-shifted into a doctor, a psychologist and a PT from working the abs so hard, into one beautiful burst of comedic reflection utilising one of humanity's greatest phenomenons: laughter.
No stranger to Adelaide and Australian audiences, there’s a vibe from the first moment that Stephen really loves this little old town of ours, especially in Mad March when it becomes a colourful agglomeration of artists and pop-up venues. Our streets are sectioned off for an adult playground to take place in the evenings, but they’re still full of what makes this place Adelaide. The common bogan, hooning around the bottom end of Rundle Street in their V8 Commodores, a perception Stephen made himself. Is it really that obvious here? He finds it a real treat performing shows in The Garden to the hoards of people in search of humanity's greatest medicine, munging on chips on a stick and a bucket of fairy floss in his audience stands. Plant 4 at Bowden wasn’t exactly the theatres with ornate ceilings he’s used to performing in back home in the UK, rather, he likened it to an aircraft hangar with a persistent bug which wouldn’t leave him alone under the spotlight the entire show.
One thing I personally really admire about Stephen K Amos in general is his kindness and support for young, raw talent in the comedic realm. He uses his shows as a platform for a younger generation of comedians. Noted that after the show, he introduced me to bunch of funny buggers he was sitting with and the respect I felt between them was mutual. They’re learning from their guru and he’s seeing something very special in them, waiting to yet be heard by audiences around the globe, and he has a genuine wish for that to happen when he can spot talent. Tonight’s support act, Kelsey De Almeida, was just that. From the moment he walked out on stage, he had the audience in hysterics. Quick-witted; a fresh perspective on today’s world. He was the little gem in the show we weren’t expecting and he set a mood and relaxed the audience before Stephen came on stage to do his (very different) thing. Stephen, along with Arj Barker, have given him a platform while doing his own Fringe run as their openers and there’s no surprises as to why. To quote Dr Seuss, Kelsey is on his way up, he’ll be seeing great sights. He’s already joined the high fliers who soar to high heights.
We live in a post-truth world. We’re engulfed in AI, lies and social media has given a means to be unjustifiably rude to people we don’t know online. Stephen made the entire audience experience this in a confronting encounter with someone across from them they didn’t know, and the energy in the room was a little stifling considering behind a computer screen, this would be normalised. Comedy can be offensive. This is the way of the world we live in now. The smallest details, true or not, can trigger a response. Nothing is safe to say anymore without it hurting someone, right? Stephen unashamedly doesn’t filter out his truth. That’s not comedy, it’s censorship. For what it’s worth, I didn’t find the show offensive at all. I found it filled with undeniable truths, some quite uncomfortable, but the beauty of the intimate hour with this seasoned, wisdom-filled comedian was it was like a session with your therapist, metaphorically dressed up as a clown, working through the ills of society with an anecdotal shot of wit to help with the reflections of how humanity has come to be the way it is. It felt like an underlying message of never losing faith on what life is meant for: Happiness. The room, at a show of hands, filled with people over the age of 50, giggling. . . And happy. I’m not over the age of 50, but I was pretty happy to be there too!
When we interviewed Stephen earlier in the month, he noted that this was a show that encourages you to listen and think. Coming away from it, you really feel that hit like a big, squeezie warm hug for the soul. It hit the mark and made us laugh and think a little deeper than a comedic sketch generally would. It was a beautiful work of art, carefully crafted to hit all the spots you wouldn’t otherwise expect from a comedy show. It was a class act of stand-up of the highest caliber.
Kara White
https://scenestr.com.au/comedy/review-stephen-k-amos-adelaide-fringe-2026-20260316