Ava Val is So Brave

Choosing to record a comedy special may seem daunting enough, and conceivably, it is - especially so for those who go hard with video in addition to an audio version. How about upping the ante by adding a third medium of animation to the mix? That’s just what Ava Val did for her debut comedy special So Brave that premiered this summer. Inspired by and playing off of what well-meaning, but tone-deaf strangers will tell her, entitling this special So Brave is emblematic of what Val has been doing the past few years: making amazing lemonade from lemons.

Press play and your eyes will be met with an illustrated version of Val on the cover of a comic book, donning a superhero’s outfit, the title So Brave emblazoned on the front. As the frame changes, the page turns to dynamic flashes of the comic’s strips, detailing the start of Val’s day and subsequent events that lead to the actual recording at Comedy Bar East. With a flip of the virtual page, the viewer is then immersed in the live taping itself, as if in the audience, the back of a few heads and the stage being all that is visible. As the excited spectators cheered and roared, a smiling and energetic Val soon arrived, setting in motion over an hour of her storytelling that was as authentic as it was hilarious. 

Mere minutes into taking the stage, Val made a point to give a precursor as to what she would be talking a lot about that night: being a newly out trans woman in her thirties. Naturally, any active shift happening in one’s life would be what they would talk about – hello, early millennial midlife crisis! Addressing these changes, Val comically goes into why it’d be weird if she didn’t talk about the obvious. Not only do you understand the explanation, but you’ll also be laughing your ass off at how Val articulates it.

There’s no shortage of truly hysterical stories throughout this special, like Val practicing vocal feminization while gaming, attractions that surprise, and her first time being cat-called.

Another side-splitting story was Val coming out to her father “like a bro would” in a Buffalo Wild Wings; funnily enough, something that an audience member could relate to. Effortlessly demonstrating how quick in jest she is, Val – by making a jingle – crafted a witty, unintentional marketing opportunity for Buffalo Wild Wings. There are moments where Val entertains without even uttering a word, as her physical comedy alone had the audience howling. Only Val could add to multiple strong jokes by simply miming (dirty in multiple senses and a must see!), with the crowd reacting off her every move, unable to contain their laughter. 

One of the many great things about Val’s performance is the way in which she takes vulnerable and embarrassing experiences, seeing them for what they are, and then crafting them into something she and her audience can find humour in: a true superpower. There’s a relatability to Val’s comedy that transcends gender, age or any of the dividers in life. Even if you aren’t navigating a path similar to Val’s, you may very well identify with going through significant changes in life, being depressed at some point, dealing with dating woes and/or having people be critical about how you look, to name a few. Although, as you take in the show, the unideal will be fleeting thoughts, because you’ll be happily engrossed and delighted in what Val has so adeptly crafted. So Brave will stay with you long after your first exposure to it, not just as the hilarious standup special it is, but as something that beyond being highly entertaining, beautifully showcases the tenacity of humanity in the midst of change a universal experience.

So Brave was released June 30, 2024 by 800 Pound Gorilla Media.
Watch or listen to it here.