Life In a Marital Institution

A lone man takes to the stage. Caught in the glare of the harsh spotlights, he prepares to bear his soul, recounting the ups and downs of his 23-year long marriage. This autobiographical monologue recounts familial death, adultery, marriage counselling and birth as James Braly searches for humour in the most unlikely of places. Braly's admission that he "finds people's personal tragedies amusing" sets the tone for a show in which he seeks comedy in his own; even his sister's terminal cancer becomes something to laugh at when he reveals her confession that "she'd rather be dead than be me," as that would involve marrying Susan, his wife.

With his wry grin and self-effacing manner, Braly is a likably character who seems to meander through life, increasingly incredulous at the events surrounding him. But his laissez-faire demeanour suggests that he has come to passively accept the absurdity of life; even his wife's rather perverse insistence on breastfeeding his six-year-old son is a topic dealt with through humour, not anger.

Reminiscences of a death-bed wedding, an adulterous liason with a French girl, hopelessly unsuccessful marriage counselling and a dinner party with placenta-eating women are woven into the rich, amusing narrative. Peppered with brilliantly odd descriptions – his rather combative relationship with Susan is termed "tantric conflict," whilst their decision to grow old together becomes a "mutual decay contract" – the tale sparkles with originality as Braly draws the audience into his life. This is a man with whom we can all identify and whose frankness in endearing, even when it concerns his sexual attraction for another woman.

Braly's story is testament to the necessity of humour, particularly its ability to help people through life's darkest moments.