Child of Divorce

Midwestern comic Stratton Smith brings a working-class sensibility to the stage, leaning on stories from his day job as an argumentative server at Dick’s Last Resort and the general chaos of his family life. He avoids high-concept philosophy in favor of concrete, often ridiculous anecdotes, establishing himself as a reliable storyteller who knows how to find humor in his own bad decisions.

Filmed at the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts in Greenfield, Indiana, the 2023 special marks a milestone for the Indianapolis-based comedian. Smith spends the hour recounting his experiences dating a married woman, explains how his father chose a career in firefighting solely because it allowed him to smoke weed on his shift, and details a bizarre period in college when he became a de facto Blockbuster rental service for two Mormon missionaries.

The back half of the set leans heavily into the title topic. Smith walks the audience through the agonizing mechanics of his family’s “table talk” summits and the lingering, oddball emotional fallout of his parents’ split.