Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife – Review by Teresa Leggard

“A College Drop-Out, Stand-up Comedian from Kentucky Walks into a Bar…”

… Okay, it wasn’t a bar, but it was a full house at the Unicorn Theatre’s Jerome Stage for Stewart Huff’s “Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife.” The stand-up comedian is relatively new to Fringe festivals, and this is his first time bringing the one-man show to Kansas City.

Huff is a self-proclaimed Kentucky Liberal who exploits that contradiction for all it’s worth. His show is a mix of comedy, political commentary, and love letter to his sisters—not like that. (Though Huff would approve of that joke.) He opens by telling us about his sisters, one a lesbian and the other with a mental disability, who are two of the best and most important people in his life. He can’t imagine why these two incredible people shouldn’t have the right to live their lives however they please, which led him to the topic of rights…

Huff’s set darts from one topic to another with a few recurring bits that had the audience in stitches every time. His tangents are tactical and his meandering meaningful, but he’s too salt-of-the-earth to ever come across didactic. This reviewer was skeptical going in and, honestly, I practically laughed through the entire hour, and even walked away with a few bits of American history trivia. (Watch out at the next dinner party.)

So make sure between the local favorites, the novelty acts, and late night at the Fringe, you make time to see “Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife.” Huff, after one particular tangent, assured us, “Trust me, we’re getting somewhere.” And that we did.

Remaining show times at The Unicorn Theatre Jerome Stage are: Sat. (7/20) @ 2pm, ed. (7/24) @ 8pm, Thur. (7/25) @ 6:30pm, Sat. (7/27) @9:30pm.