In Good Pill Hunting Zach Riley proves that even in the darkest moments of our lives there is still room to laugh. I found this routine from the Australian comedian incredibly heartwarming, as he combines great punchlines with an even better message about overcoming poor mental health.
Good Pill Hunting is a stand-up comedy show largely based on Riley’s own struggles with depression throughout his life and the grief of losing his father to terminal bowel cancer in 2018. Although on paper these both sound like incredibly sensitive subjects Riley talks about his experiences so candidly that the audience simply couldn’t help but laugh along with him.
The show is well structured and flows smoothly as Riley discusses the ways depression has affected him at different stages of his life as well as the strategies he has used to try to overcome his struggles with poor mental health. My personal highlight of the show was when Riley asked the audience some of the absurd conversation starters, recommended as part of the Australian governments plans to improve mental health awareness, pointing out that some of the questions would surely do more harm than good.
Good Pill Hunting is being performed in The Wee Room at The Three Sisters, which is typically used a karaoke booth outside of Fringe season. Although this room is only able to fit a very small audience, I wholeheartedly believe that Riley easily has enough charisma and stage presence to fill a venue at least ten times the size.
There is something for everyone to love about Good Pill Hunting, but my most important takeaway from Zach Riley’s show is about the importance of laughter and community in the fight against depression. The comedian emphasises that being able to connect with people from all over the world through his comedy and to laugh with people from all walks of life has done more to improve his mental health than any anti-depressant he has ever tried, which I find to be a very heart-warming message.
Good Pill Hunting has finished its run at the Edinburgh Fringe
Image Via the Fringe Press Office
