Everybody has to start somewhere, but I doubt that Laura Rose ever thought that she’d be performing her first solo stand-up show inside a tiny 2 x 3-metre room inside the basement of the Rhino Room. I’m sure it’s been converted from a sauna because the sold-out room was hot and sweaty on the night I watched this burgeoning comedian, and thankfully she brought a plethora of laughs with her to cool us down. Growing up on a pineapple farm in Queensland is not a common type of upbringing, but it gave Laura plenty of material for her show, Bushpig, as the crowd was taken on a wild ride through her early years on the farm, her school life and her interesting family dynamic. It’s not for sensitive ears though. Laura’s opening joke set the tone for how the show was going to run, much to some audience member’s discomfort. Sometimes crass, at other times vulgar, but always hilariously funny, I often found myself laughing loudly at her observations on life, including an interesting discovery in her sister’s bedroom, interactions with the school bully, and her poor husband’s response to being caught watching porn. For a relatively new comedian, I found Laura’s crowd work exemplary. The front row often played a part in her jokes, and due to her kind, personable demeanour, they were happy to play along as the butt of her jokes because nothing came across as mean-spirited. My most surprising reaction to Bushpig was just how quickly the hour flew by. Usually, most comedians will start strong, have a comedic lull in the middle of their act, and have a killer finish. But Laura started strong and pretty much didn’t let up until the end. It’s a special kind of comedian that doesn’t leave you looking at your watch from time to time, but Laura’s material, her facial expressions when telling a story, and her actions when re-enacting events had me and the audience engrossed for the full sixty minutes. And, although some jokes may not have hit the mark, she was happy to make a joke at her own expense or call it out and acknowledge it while keeping the show moving. A comedian on the rise, Laura Rose is one stand-up who can bring the laughs no matter how big the room. FOUR AND A HALF STARS ****1/2 Reviewed by Shane Berketa