Luke McGregor returns to the stage after an eight-year break in his show “Okay, wow” at Melbourne International Comedy Festival. A little less socially awkward and a little more comfortable in his own skin then when I saw his last on my television screen in his documentary series Luke Warm Sex on the ABC.
It was my first introduction to his work and it very much resonated with me. Engaging with experts in the field of sex and the body, Luke unashamedly exposed his anxiety around sex and put himself in situations to overcome his challenges. Coming from a religious background where sex was a sin and the body the vessel to commit that sin, I found his work extremely therapeutic and liberating back in 2016 when it aired.
But that was almost a decade ago, and as Luke explained, the last time he did a live comedy show gig there were thirty people in the room and he had brought a date who left halfway through mouthing ‘sorry’ because she was embarrassed for him. Since then though, Luke has starred in a number of successful ABC shows so that today he is able to practically pack out the Comedy Theatre of 1000 seats – not bad.
Luke’s life has changed since his revealing ABC show and he tells us all about it in “Okay, wow”. He is married and has children and Luke doesn’t hold back in his storytelling of life as a married man, everything from phone sex while he is touring, to living in Newcastle and encountering holes in the ground due negligent mining practices, to his struggles with mental health, OCD and autism. But he doesn’t stop there. He delves into the questionable hygiene of straight men’s nether regions, step parenting, and he even gets political, referencing the USA’s new laws around gender which directly affect his partner who is gender fluid.
In terms of content, this show touches on a number of hot topics that feed into the diversity spectrum and thus his voice is an important one on these topics rather than being just “white man” comedy. I like Luke’s work because it doesn’t buy into the “bloke” comedy we often see on the comedy circuit. While it might not leave you gasping for air from laughter, it is cleaver and vulnerable. Luke’s delivery is measured and carefully paced, his facial expressions just as much part of the comedy as his words. I did laugh quite a bit and very much enjoyed the show. Comedy for those who resonate with self-deprecating, awkward humour where one challenges themselves to overcome the obstacle to grow and evolve as a person.
– Koraly
Koraly Dimitraidis is a Cypriot-Australian poet, writer and performer and the author of Love and F—k Poems, Just Give Me The Pills, She’s Not Normal and The Mother Must Die. Her theatre show “I say the wrong things all the time” premiered at La Mama.
“Okay, Wow” runs 27th March – 6th April Book tickets here.
Disclosure: The Plus Ones were invited guests of Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Photo credit: Dru Maher-Brooks
