Bad Gut
a show about comedian Elyott Ryan's journey through severe health issues and his road to recovery. As a teenager, his body was a mess—crippling stomach aches, insomnia, chronic fatigue and he could even get drunk off sugar. Now, he's ready to share the wild, weird, and funny lessons he learned from living with a unwell body.
Comedy Straight from the Gut By Martha Estrada Baca
At its core, Bad Gut is about the challenges of living in a body that won’t cooperate. Elyott talks candidly about confusing medical advice, embarrassing symptoms, and the daily frustrations of restricted diets and constant discomfort. These aren’t the most obvious building blocks for comedy, but that’s what makes the show intriguing. He doesn’t shy away from awkwardness; instead, he leans into it, looking for ways to mine small laughs and wry observations from situations that are atypical. Does it always work as comedy? Not exactly. There are long stretches where the show feels closer to storytelling or confessional theatre than traditional stand-up. Some punchlines don’t quite land, and there are moments when the audience listens more than they laugh. But to judge Bad Gut only on how many laughs per minute it delivers would be to miss its greater impact. The show succeeds less as a comedy showcase and more as a piece of personal storytelling that uses humour as a bridge for connection.