Tonight’s all about the sects and violets.

Austin Harrison brings his debut NZICF show, F♤cking Ace, an hour of stand-up all about the less sexy side of experimenting with your sexual identity. With a hot performance that teaches us ‘horndogs’ about the nature of asexuality, Harrison nails a performance that’s as hilarious as it is informative.

Opening with a song and a strong flurry of definitions, Austin is incredible at setting the stage for the content. There’s a resounding holler from the ace crowd when asked to identify themselves, but never at the cost of exclusion of those who aren’t. This is neither a safari tour, nor a series on in-jokes. It’s an authentic, hilarious package that succeeds in delighting aces and all other cards alike.

Harrison flits from anecdote to anecdote, punctuated by sexy dance numbers that have the audience cheering for more. Each one provides a deeper glimpse into his experiences as an asexual, handled with class, levity and a little bit of cheek.

Austin himself is completely in his element, calling out audience members for light touches of crowdwork, cracking up at his own jokes, and engaging with the ambience of happenstance around the room. It certainly helps that I was seated next to his partner, whose cackle was an infectious part of the experience. Not that he needed her to fill the room with laughter.

Performers like Austin Harrison are generational talents. His ability to warm a room without feeling saccharine needs to be studied. While he describes his experiences, it’s impossible not to both laugh at the absurdity, but understand the underlying message behind all of them; acceptance.

And that’s the key takeaway from F♤cking Ace. It’s acceptance of who you are. It’s no wonder that the loudest audience members at the start kept their momentum and energy throughout the night. They weren’t just hollers of recognition, they sounded like people who were feeling truly and deeply seen.

Whilst it may seem like a niche within queer comedy, Austin Harrison has put together a show that’s universally accessible, mega informative and downright hilarious. His wholesome demeanour pulls in the audience and never lets them go throughout the entire hour runtime. I mean it wholeheartedly when I say that F♤cking Ace reviews itself.

A great way to start the comedy festival.

Disclosure: As a somewhat active member of the Wellington performing arts community, I may be quite familiar with a number of the performers in this show. Having said that, I am not a liar, and there is zero bias in my reviews, shut up.

Also, tickets were provided to me for free by the production. Literally changes nothing, though