Are you queer? Chronically online? The hottest and funniest person in your friend group? It’s a hard job, but someone (me) has got to do it. And if you’re in the same boat, then you should probably see Lou Wall: The Bisexual’s Lament before the 2024 Fringe Festival is over.
Last year was the worst year of Australian comic Lou Wall’s life. She experienced trauma, violence, loss, and existential crisis – she was in the trenches, basically. In the midst of these difficult times, Lou’s mother encouraged her to write down every little thing she found humorous. The result of this laundry list is The Bisexual’s Lament, and it is beautiful.
Lou takes the audience on a whistlestop tour of her horrific year, finding the humour in every
moment. The show features musical numbers, video montages, screenshots and everything in-between. This multimedia elevates The Bisexual’s Lament from traditional standup to something truly special. The audience starts to feel like a group chat, and Lou is that friend who always has a voice memo to share.
There’s a lot of brilliantly funny material here – from a friend accidentally eating a dog treat, to an unbelievable experience with Facebook marketplace, or Lou’s laptop breaking in the middle of her watching porn. I laughed for an hour straight. Amidst these moments of pure comedy, Lou delves into much more vulnerable topics and manages to find humour in even the most difficult content. In these hard moments, too, the audience is treated as a friend.
The saying goes that tragedy and time make comedy. But what if you’re a comedian and you
don’t have the privilege of time?
The Bisexual’s Lament is about finding humour in the middle of darkness. Lou says the theme of her show is recovery, and she deftly illustrates how comedy might facilitate this healing.
Lou Wall is a rising star with a remarkable and original voice: the Edinburgh Fringe at its best. Her performance is side-splittingly funny, thought provoking, and cathartic. I thought it was simply incredible. In The Bisexual’s Lament, we are privileged to experience Lou’s friendship, even just for an hour.
Lou Wall: The Bisexual’s Lament runs through 25 August at 22:20 in Pleasance Courtyard.
Tickets are available for purchase here.
Image via Pleasance Press Office.