Lawrence Leung’s show “The Marvelous Misadventures of Puzzle Boy” is at a new venue for the Comedy Festival, upstairs at The Portland Hotel. The first thing you notice is the dark poo-brown walls and ceiling. They’ve renovated and brightened up the downstairs area, but not here. Paint is peeling and tatty stages with mirrors behind them recall this venue’s past as a strip joint (or that quaint euphemism ‘table-top dancing venue’). Lawrence tells us that they had to remove a pole from his stage and there are curtains hiding the mirror. I can’t help look around and think what a sad and depressing place it looks. But as soon as Lawrence’s show begins all that is forgotten, who can feel gloomy when the youthful, exuberant Lawrence is in the house? His use of audiovisual equipment is excellent with some Rubic Cube quotes to quiet the audience and set the scene, then a too, too clever sequence where he uses all different kinds of puzzles to introduce the show. His use of music is atmospheric and romantic and one can’t help but wonder if Lawrence was a little influenced by Daniel Kitson. For this is not just about puzzles it is also about love and how Lawrence comes to realize that relationships with women are not actually like puzzles and are much better. Lawrence takes us back to primary school where he was nicknamed ‘Puzzleboy’ and tells how his scamming career began by tricking everyone into thinking he was a Rubic’s Cube champion. But there was one girl who turned the tables on him, a girl smarter than him, who was also good at anagrams, Megan. So of course he fell in unrequited love with her. On stage with him he has a suitcase and inside are old school essays and drawings and most importantly love letters – which he never had the guts to send. The contents of the suitcase are the backbone of his show. He moves through to high school and unrequited love of a Goth chick called Amy who, rather than anagrams, loves the complex mazes he draws for her, but not him. He writes a song for her which he sings on stage with guitar and its lovely to discover that Lawrence has yet another talent to add to his amazing abilities. Lawrence also has help throughout from someone whose return to the Melbourne Comedy Festival is joyfully welcomed – Clippy!! The Microsoft Word Help tool (this time voiced by who else but Andrew McLelland?) Lawrence is a born showman who never disappoints. He’s a great comic storyteller who always manages to have a trick or two up his sleeve to surprise and delight. This time he also touches your heart.
For booking details go to Lawrence Leung : The Marvelous Misadventures of Puzzle Boy