Lighthearted, a bit shaky, but StudyLink Presents Comedy Related Costs generates quite a few laughs. A cast of very young and enthusiastic up and coming comedy/improv prospects take turns on the stage in a performance that relies heavily on audience involvement – and an equally young and enthusiastic crowd finds no trouble relating.

When everyone is asked to shout out their StudyLink balance, everyone happily (or maybe in despair) puts this intimate part of themselves out here with no problem. Audience and cast seem a match made in heaven which really helps the show run smoothly, but given it caters to such a precise audience, it might not engage a wider one.

The cast need to juggle with whatever they are thrown, and they do it quite well. Even when it is not an optimal catch, the amount of energy and enthusiasm makes up for that. The interaction is cheeky and daring, which the audience willingly seems to accept without discomfort.

Beyond this, a sense of missed opportunity emerges. New Zealand university students are not having the best of times, to put it mildly. Student debt piles, house renting is getting beyond anyone’s means: the socioeconomic circumstances are really pushing university students against the wall. A show with with such a witty name, placed within that context, raises expectations of a more politically engaged performance.

It is not a requirement, but art and comedy are optimal vehicles with which to traverse such territory with a crowd of disenfranchised young university students. It seems more important than ever that a cast equipped to produce wit and laughter about their student audience’s circumstances should also take a political stance.

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