Lawrence Mooney – Moonman: Taking Comedy To The Edge And Back – Adelaide Fringe Review

Rhino Room - Upstairs, Fri 12 Feb Equipped with a cheeky, dimpled grin and boyish features Mooney commences the show by mime pedalling his transparent bicycle whilst recounting an ungraceful disembark and subsequent injuries. Mooney’s expressions and visual imaginings can be very funny and insightful. Without question Mooney is often crass, and appears to wholeheartedly delight in choosing to extricate himself from the constraints of political-correctness, but in saying this one of Mooney’s most endearing qualities is that he is genuinely reflective and honest. The bravery summoned to share enormously personal experiences via such a public platform is definitely to be admired. When segments of the show became unscripted and the opportunity allowed for audience interaction Mooney shined. Two phones rang during first few minutes of the show, and by the time a third phone rang the annoyance was palpable, and rightly so, but it also presented great opportunity for banter. This is where Mooney is at his best, and one of the reasons the Dirty Laundry Live format works so well, as interactions with Brooke Satchwell and the other panellists are unpredictable and thoroughly entertaining. Some of Mooney’s topics radiated a sense of danger for things to go horribly wrong, and several times they did. However, to Mooney’s credit, his years of experience successfully brought the focus back from the edge of disaster. At times the waters he was navigating were rocky and treacherous, and Mooney’s passionate recounting of life events had the potential to appear angry and narcissistic, when moments before Mooney’s content dripped with tenderness and compassion. By Mooney’s own admission he is impulsive and compulsive, and his delivery is direct and visceral with an underlying cynicism that thumbs at the law and conformity. His humour may not be everyone’s cup of proverbial tea and I found myself at times preferring the serving of herbal peppermint rather than the rooibos variety but that is the beauty of a live performance and individual taste. Choose to take it with pinch of salt, or a massive dose of sugar, honey or just plain black; Mooney’s comedy is whatever you allow it to be. Jenna Bonavita Lawrence Mooney- Moonman continues at Rhino Room – Upstairs from 8.30pm until Sat 27 Feb. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.