Have you ever been to a show where someone laughed so hard they broke your nose? Yeah, neither had I until last night. I was told to ‘expect the unexpected’ with Jon Madd’s shows and a broken nose from someone else’s laughter was definitely unexpected!

Madd’s started the show by saying ‘lower your expectations and then you wont be disappointed’.  Our group arrived with no expectations only to hear how amazing Madd’s is from previous attendees.  Our expectations were rising. Then we met Madd’s before the show and they rose a little more after some close-up magic in the waiting area. Despite the rising expectations, we were not disappointed.

I’ll be honest, it’s one of the weirdest shows we have been to. Madd’s shared his performing life history while weaving together storytelling, magic, ukulele, video clips, sing-a-longs, humour, and audience participation. Oh, there was oh so much audience participation. Normally audience participation makes me feel awkward and cringy, but Madd’s has a way of making you feel like you’re chilling with a friend, the loud friend who is the centre of attention and always has a story, a song or a trick to share. So, the audience participation didn’t feel cringy and gross, it felt fun.

90% of the eclectic show is family friendly but the show 100% needed the PG warning and medium sizzle factor for the other 10%. If you are going with young people or people with delicate sensibilities, there is a video clip that Madd’s suggests you may want to look away for, trust him and perhaps cover young children’s eyes.

The show was nothing like I expected—in the best possible way. What I thought would be a standard performance turned out to be something far more heartfelt, layered with emotion and authenticity. It was brimming with heart, drawing me in with its sincerity and leaving me completely captivated. By the time it ended, I walked away feeling an overwhelming sense of joy (despite the broken nose), uplifted by the experience and grateful to have witnessed something so unexpectedly light and dark, and playful and fun.