It’s not every day I review a comedian with cerebral palsy, and I am so glad I have now had that opportunity.
Laurence Clark has the most wicked sense of humour, possibly rating higher than 12% evil. His show is a very cleverly constructed deconstruction of stereotypes assigned to people with disabilities, especially villains of the silver screen (did you realise that every James Bond movie, for example, has a villain with some form of disability?).
But don’t think that this is a morality lecture for one moment. This is well executed “sit down” comedy as Laurence highlights the automatic assumptions most able-bodied people adopt when confronted with somebody with a disability. With great hilarity and a hint of evil, he shares footage of himself playing the role of charity collector in his wheelchair on various London sidewalks. Just how ridiculous do Laurence’s “causes” need to be before people analyse why they are giving this “cripple” a donation? You will find out.
In fact, I am now so sensitive about being dubbed a patronising twit, that I have resisted the temptation of awarding five stars, just in case Laurence thought the extra star was awarded through pity!
Be warned, Laurence’s speech can be a little slurred at times, so you will need to concentrate more than usual. However, the sheer nuggets of comedic gold are worth the effort. Bravo!
Laurence Clark is appearing as part of High Beam Global, curated by Arts Access SA – for full details of the comedy, cabaret and theatre events, view the High Beam Global program online.
Alternatively, read more and book tickets through the Fringe Guide