Melbourne International Comedy FestivalReviewed on Sunday April 10, 2022
This review may contain spoilers
Whether they explore popular culture or dissect current events, comedians seem to bring a different point of view to the table.
Annie Louey is no exception.
In testing and developing her unique brand of stand up, this up-and-coming performer highlights personal experience and growing up as an Asian Australian to advantage.
Using that specificity as a springboard, she has scored big laughs detailing the quirky differences between Eastern and Western rituals and traditions. From Chinese restaurants to alternative medicine, just to name a few.
The lovechild of Margaret Cho and Judith Lucy, Louey doesn’t hold back in her most personal journey to date.
If Annie Louey Is Flirting With Death were fusion cooking, her sixty-minute set is like a TedTalk and a secret diary laid bare. Directed by Jason Marion, the hook being, is that the anecdotes she shares are all true.
Good comics have a knack for making taboo topics more palatable. What makes Louey’s act even more enticing, is that she appears just as gob-smacked by her adventures as we are.
That she worked as the assistant at a funeral home during the pandemic, gives viewers quite an inside glimpse into this mysterious industry. Flirting With Death covers topics such as:
- How pallbearers are chosen;
- What the dead bury with them;
- Louey’s questionable driving skills;
- Communicating with spirits; and,
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The hobbies and interests of the dearly-departed.
Louey also talks about the special relationship she and her younger sister shared with their deceased elderly father, and his link to the former mayor of Melbourne, John So. (His celebrity presence caused quite the stir amongst mourners at her dad’s service. Louey in fact, recaps the ensuing chaos in every shocking detail.)
The comic also understands the value in setting up a long-form joke, following through, and bringing it back for an encore at any moment. Several examples, such as a wicked spin on Senator Pauline Hanson’s infamous video announcing her death, or a customer’s obsession with competitive cornholing (who even knew there was such a sport), immediately come to mind.
Multimedia interludes play a solid part in Louey’s hour-long show. To make the most of these moments, my suggestion would be to sit in the venue’s first few rows, or on one of the raised stools at the back of the space. Otherwise, some of the more visual jokes may be slightly lost.
Further to the on-stage experience, check out Louey’s YouTube Channel and her new Q & A podcast series, From The Hearse’s Mouth. Driving her subjects around in an impressive white stretch station wagon, I was immediately reminded of two ABC hits, Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey or Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery. It is here that Louey shines as a talented host as well.
Playing for the duration of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival until Sunday April 24, Flirting With Death is one of the more diverse options in this year’s line-up.
Check it out.