The loudest laughs can come from the darkest of places, but still, Luke Ryan has to walk a fine tightrope in his solo stand-up show Luke’s got Cancer. On the one hand, as Luke himself acknowledges, cancer is a difficult subject for even the sharpest of comedians to tackle. On the other, as a cancer survivor with plenty of experience with uncomfortable silences, he also has to steer clear of the easy ‘sympathy laugh’. With the bar set high, Luke seems to almost effortlessly balance both sides of the equation, putting the audience at ease with an affable, self-deprecating patter, but still managing to deliver genuine laughs on this most bleak of subjects.
Using Delta Goodrem’s own survival story (as recorded by a particularly inspirational edition of the Women’s Weekly) as a jumping-off point to relate the chapters of his own, Luke weaves together the tale of how he survived cancer not just once but twice, and lived to tell about it. Using projected photos and video to supplement the narrative, Luke moves from dealing with the uncomfortable reactions triggered by an eleven-year-old kid with no hair, to the surreal story of having to preserve his sperm before chemotherapy at twenty-two- and then coming home to tell his mum how it went. The stories veer from tear-inducingly sad to tear-inducingly funny. It’s a wild ride, and is not without its tough parts, but there is always a field of puppies afterwards to balance them out.
What elevates the show beyond a typical night of stand-up is not just the fact that Luke had the strength to endure so much to bring it to you, but also the sense of humour to transform the experience into something that could bring laughter and, yes, perspective to others. Sure, it’s a tough story at times, but it’s one well worthy of both the comedy festival, and your time. Highly recommended.
For more info and booking details go to Luke’s Got Cancer