Comedy Review - Cvnt

Images courtesy of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

It’s not often you walk into a theatre and in 50 or so minutes, you find yourself shouting obscenities in the air, singing classic pop song renditions as someone dressed as a living breathing cunt struts the stage, but hey, that’s all par for the course of the show CVNT.

Safe to say that CVNT is a powerful and unique clown performance, helmed and performed by Sophie Powers and directed by Fabio Motta. As someone who has always been intrigued about the idea of clowning (and being scared of clowns ever since I saw that one Ben 10 episode as a kid), I was a bundle of excitement and nervousness as I walked up the stairs to watch it in The Malthouse’s Playbox theatre.

I was giggling from minute one. The slow reveal of the central premise was clear, moving through and addressing different ideas of “cvnt” (or is it Kant?), and flowing through impromptu audience participation and singalongs. 

The show reminded me of a cabaret act, the way that Powers is able weave between singing and different bits- immersing and engaging the audience while also being able to read the energy of the audience in a manner that would make any performer jealous. It made the whole audience feel so safe, and yet so eager to bounce off Sophie’s energy. 

It surprised me to find out this was Sophie’s first comedy festival show. It speaks to her talent, and to the masterful direction of her creative partners that this show felt so easy and flowing. As a result, the time that has been taken to work on this show is abundantly clear.

All in all, I would recommend that anyone who has a chance to see this show should do so for an absolutely unique and hilarious experience.

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Cvnt is showing as part of the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. For tickets and more info, click here.