Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Cycling into a pigeon isn’t the worst of Lewis Garnham’s embarrassing stories, but it’s the easiest to picture in a slightly unwieldy show title. In fact, he’s got an hour’s worth of cringe. More, I’d wager.

A gifted and spirited storyteller, he makes you feel every gnawing shame, from accidentally calling a colleague ‘mum’, to saying something offensive inappropriate – then finding those in earshot agreeing with him.

This is a festival show, so he puts some philosophy and structure into the stand-up anecdotes. Children are born without embarrassment, he observes, unfazed by screwing up. But from the reaction of others they start to build up layers and layers of anxieties that make life increasingly awkward.

That’s certainly true of Garnham who has more than his fair share of examples, which he tells with verve and a confidence that you might not expect from such a self-confessed klutz.

Many of the yarns come from his day job as a teacher’s aide, when he’s perpetually being bested by the youngsters in his charge. And he has a great way of recounting these, hubristically building himself up a smart saviour of the day, before it all comes crashing down.

That such facepalm moments could happen to the best of us adds the appeal. He covers some more universal discomforts, such as the stadium ‘kisscam’ and older people’s struggles with technology - but with a hilarious twist.  Speaking of the older generation,. he paints a vivid picture of his dad as a well-meaning oddball, full of peculiar advice, much of it concerning fish and chips.

Meanwhile, the game he plays with his flatmate, describing things they see in terms of reactionary tabloid headlines. is a rich source of edgy jokes.

It’s all regaled with a confessional, conspiratorial ‘I shouldn’t be telling you this…’ vibe that draws the audience in.  And the stories are all tied up rewardingly neatly, further showing the added value this personable idiot brings to the raw material.

Review date: 21 Apr 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival