Just for Laughs: Cameron Esposito balanced heartbreak and laughter in her new solo show

Cameron Esposito is going through a lot. The LA-based performer has always been very open about her personal life in her comedy, from her stand-up routines, TV shows, and innumerable podcast appearances, a trend she continues with Separately, a new hour-long stand-up set that deals with her divorce from Rhea Butcher (never named in the set), who also partnered with Esposito on the Take My Wife show and the Put Your Hands Together podcast.

With her new blonde “divorce hair,” Esposito’s set was evenly balanced between laughter and heartbreak, much of it centered on trying to rediscover herself following her divorce, something which she admits is a newfound proposition for most in the Queer world.

Esposito would occasionally jot down notes following certain jokes, which seemed like a bit of physical comedy, until she revealed at the end of the set that she is using these shows to work out new material, and was actually gauging the crowd’s reaction to her bits throughout the night.

While her set was often hilarious and quite poignant, some of the best parts of the night were derived from her crowd work, which turned out some genuinely great moments, including a long interchange with a young woman in the front who claimed that Esposito’s throwing away of her shared strap-on with her ex was “wasteful.”

Esposito has a truly unique voice, and her honest expression of the difficult time she’s going through made for a heartfelt show that nevertheless managed to remain funny and resonant throughout the entire hour.

Cameron Esposito performs at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine (264 St Catherine St E.) through July 24. Tickets and the complete schedule are available here.