5 Good Reasons to See Lessons with Luis – Stickin’ Together

1. Go out and get some happy vibes by watching some top quality, non-political, warm and fuzzy comedy made by award-winning comedians like me and my brother in Stickin’ Together.

2. You do not have to sit through ad breaks encouraging you to buy insurance or pasta sauce.

3. It is a good excuse to not have to dust that dusty shelf you have been meaning to dust in your spare time (which is also sometimes dusting time).

4. You can wear that fancy shirt and/or dress you love the look of but do not really have enough occasions to wear it before Easter. It might not fit on you as well after too many chocolate bunnies. Unless you are very strict with yourself. But you know two chocolate bunnies taste better than one.

5. Your cat will let you. They love you so they will respect your choice of seeing a cat person perform, so you do not need to feel bad about going out. Your dog should understand too. Goldfish will not remember you left.

Lessons with Luis performs Stickin’ Together at Melbourne Town Hall Lunch Room

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2019/shows/stickin-together

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award Nominees

On Monday morning at the Spiegeltent the Nominees for the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards were Announced with the aid of Guest Barry Humphries. You may have heard of him, The Barry Award is named after him.

Congratulations to all the phenomenal Nominees!

The Golden Gibbo 

Asher Treleaven & Gypsy Wood – Peter & Bambi Heaven – The Magic Inside

Luis Brown – Lessons With Luis

Tommy Dassallo – Little Golden Dassallo

Zoe Coombs Marr – Dave Trigger Warning

Best Newcomer Barry Announcing the Barry's

Demi Lardner – Life Mechanic

Guy Montgomery (NZ) – Guy Montcomedy

Tom Walker – Beep Boop

Rose Matafeo (NZ) – Finally Dead

The Barry Award

Zoe Coombs Marr – Dave Trigger Warning

Damien Power – Sell Mum into Slavery

Luisa Omielan (UK) – Am I Right Ladies?!

Tom Ballard – The World Keeps Happening

Anne Edmonds That’s Eddotainment

David O’Doherty (IRE) – We Are All In The Gutter, But Some Of Us Are Looking At David O’Doherty

Rhys Nicholson – Bone Fide

There are more Awards that will be announced next weekend.

Also RAW Comedy Award for 2016 was won by Danielle Walker from Victoria

 

Lessons with Luis

By Lisa Clark Luis Lessons with Luis

The world can be a confusing and harsh place, but that’s OK because here is Luis from Lessons with Luis to teach us all we need to know, like What is Love?, What is Character Comedy? and Where has Catty, Luis’s beloved cat, gone? This is Luis’ first solo show and it’s a wonderful learning experience.

The first Lesson’s with Luis show, Kidney Kingdom, blew Melbourne away, I remember coming out in a daze and Dave Thornton saying to me “What the hell was That?!” with a big grin on his face. It was like we’d all been trapped in a 90s timewarp, in the lounge room of a demented loving family and been hit over the head with some new kind of comedy. Unsurprisingly they won RAW and The Golden Gibbo that year. Luis was always the centre of the show but he was supported by his adoring widowed father Len and little brother Luellin, both of whom pop up here in videotaped cameos, with his dad playing an important role in the learning.

Beginning by drawing us in with free lollies and singing the gorgeous song “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, perpetual man-boy Luis takes us on a crazy ride through learning lessons, his own silly singalong/clapalong songs (mostly about cats), stories from his Dad and costumed characters like Paulie the Plant who grows with compliments. This is a surprisingly slick show, considering the use of cassette tapes and a tiny old portable TV. These add to the whole nostalgia vibe that has always been at the heart of Luis’ shows.  All of the many sound cues and videotaped bits go off without a hitch. Luis has always been into multimedia and has got this down to a fine art.

Now Luis has finally got what he always wanted; his own solo Melbourne Comedy Festival Show, there was always a chance that there might be a dark megalomaniac monster hiding under the desperate, cheesy grins. But no, Luis just really just wants to give us the best show he can and he does, pulling out all the stops. Luis is a brilliantly realised character and as he runs around and begins to sweat I always wonder if he regrets the choice of jumper as his main performance garment.

There has always been a sadness underlying the Luis shows, with the loss of the mother hanging over the (fictitious) Brown family and this year there has been the (real) loss of their neighbour and friend Mr Bianchi but Luis has chosen to leave him out of the show while still managing to tribute him, in a way, for those in the know. This show seems to have been deliberately kept light-hearted, despite the hints that it might be going into darker places than it eventually does. Probably just as well, being a comedy festival show for the whole family, things are kept pretty sweet, loving and warm.

Like any comedian, Luis is desperate to be loved and you can’t help but love this adorable funny show. Especially if you love cats. We had a ball laughing and learning with Luis and you will too.

Lessons with Luis is showing at ACMI

for more information see the MICF website:

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2016/season/shows/lessons-with-luis

5 good Reasons to See Lessons With Luis

1. Dynamic live learning lessons

2. State of the art VHS technology used

3. Compact props, including floppy disks and confetti

4. Streamline sing-alongs to shiny new songs

5. Cats

See Lesson’s with Luis first solo show at ACMI Games Room

http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2016/season/shows/lessons-with-luis

Lessons with Luis : By Myself

By Elyse Philips

After two successful shows performing with his family, Luis Brown from Lessons with Luis is stepping out on his own for the first time (ably assisted by his crew, aka little brother Luelin). In By Myself, we get to know the real Luis as he tries his hand at stand-up comedy. There’s singing, storytelling and Seinfeld-esque gags, all of which are bad in the best possible way.

Once again the Lessons with Luis gang have created a wonderful show that’s not quite like anything else this festival. Beneath the dad jokes, home-made props and op-shop finds is a bittersweet story about family that sneaks up on you and grabs at your heart.

Despite being a solo act this year, there are still appearances from the extended family via video – we get a gloriously rambling welcome from Len and some basic Spanish lessons from Mr Bianchi. The show is more of a variety night than straight stand-up. Luis’ short bursts of jokes are interspersed with daggy tracks from the cassette player and a bizarre story acted out with assorted toys and cardboard props.

Luis is masterfully awkward in his special stand-up comedy outfit, shuffling around the stage like the world’s most terrified song and dance man. Luelin is the perfect foil to Luis’ attention-seeking, not cracking a smile for the entire show and staring at audience members for just that little bit too long. The dynamic between the two of them has really been amplified in ‘By Myself’ and it works beautifully. There’s a new level of tension that tests the boundaries of what’s funny, which is incredibly rewarding.

‘By Myself’ is remarkably refined piece of clumsiness. It’s everything you loved about their previous shows distilled into a purer form. If you’re a fan of Lessons of Luis, you shouldn’t miss it. This is their best work yet.

By Myself is on at the Tuxedo Cat until April 20
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/by-myself-lessons-with-luis

5 Good Reasons to see Lessons with Luis – By Myself

Please find below Luis’ 5 Good Reasons.

 

1. It’s my first-ever solo show, by myself.

2. Dad says it’s the best thing I’ve ever done and mum would be very proud.

3. I have new sneakers so I look like Jerry Seinfeld, like a real stand-up comedian.

4. It’s in a venue named after a cat and cats are pretty cool.

5. Luelin will be there too.

Lessons with Luis – By Myself will be on from April 10 at Tuxedo Cat