Lawrence Mooney's 'Moonman', Plus Q & A

Lawrence Mooney's 'Moonman', Plus Q & A

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Posted 2016-03-11 by Chris Carvillfollow

Thu 24 Mar 2016 - Sun 17 Apr 2016


Brace yourself. Because what I'm about to reveal will shock. See that guy? Standup comic smirking in the photo up there? He's a fraud! Yep. This duplicitous con artist, with his...clean shave, nicely combed hair, and shirt, stands onstage night after night LYING. This so-called "bloke" wants YOU to believe he's some haughty, heartless badass - if I'm using the term correctly. When, no, sorry, no. Truth be told, he's faaaaar from it. Quite the opposite, in fact.


See, Lawrence Mooney, renowned comic/radio & TV personality, is a gentleman. That's right, yep, uh-huh. Mr Lawrence Mooney, supposed "rebel without a cause", has a heart. Wow, Chris. Some bombshell. No, no, no, no, what I mean is, he has a heart. Don't let that facade fool you - Lawrence is nice. Yep. You heard it right here...so...those Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) henchman can try silence me, suppress truth. But you, I, won't be brainwashed, whitewashed, nor prewashed. Will we? No.


Still here??? Well...okay, in that case, let me tell you 'bout the reeeeeal Lawrence Mooney. Former customs worker, perfume salesman (no, really), career started blossoming in the late 90's. Regular on Denise Drysdale's aptly titled 'Denise', also venturing onstage 'round this time. Recurring gigs in the MICF, not long before his onstage antics were talk of the town. Spontaneity, intrepid quips, earning him accolades such as: Comedians Choice Award ('09), Melbourne Fringe Best Comedy Award ('11), and Barry Award at MICF last year.


Parts in Winners and Losers, Agony of Life, Spicks and Specks, and presenter on Dirty Laundry Live and Steve Vizard Show, he's not only appeared on the small screen. But also in films, The Cup, Bad Eggs, and The Day of the Broken. Even ascending to the semis of NBC's 2007 season of Last Comic Standing. Which coincidentally, brings me to ' Moonman ' - Lawrence's upcoming MICF show, which promises a barrage of sidesplitting witticism.

I had the pleasure of quizzing Lawrence about his standup career, and upcoming MICF show:
Do you remember your first ever standup gig? If so, how'd it go?

Yes I was opening for a friends play at a pub in March 1994. I did twenty minutes and it went off. The bug bit hard and there's been little looking back.

**What drives you to boldly 'expose yourself' before strangers?
**
The hunger for laughter. And my material is close to who I am so I enjoy showing myself off I suppose. (Lawrence! You just destroyed my whole article!)

You've commented, when it comes to your audience you don't hold back. In terms of that unreserved 'in your face' onstage presence, did you find IT, or did IT find you?

I think I found it. I liked that style of comedy from Hicks, Kinnison and Lenny Bruce as well as Gilda Radner and Bellushi. I loved the insanity of it.

**Australian audiences relish your honesty. When you were in 'Last Comic Standing' over in the States, were your American audiences as receptive?
**
I did LCS in 2007 and I hedged my bets and copped a kick in the guts. I deserved it, you shouldn't play to an audience or second guess a situation. Be yourself. Be true to yourself.

**You're notorious for punishing audience members with uncontrollable laughter. Are you going to be as ruthless with your upcoming show 'Moonman'?
**
I hope so. And thank you for saying so that's very kind.

#cbd
#comedy
#comics
#festivals
#nightlife
#march
!date 24/03/2016 -- 17/04/2016
%wnmelbourne
188168 - 2023-06-16 03:07:26

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