It’s that time of the year when you’re confronted with how little progress you’ve made towards your overly optimistic New Year’s resolutions. As the guilt and shame start to settle in, you might be tempted to use this as an opportunity to take a long, hard look at yourself; perhaps you’ll be inspired to buy a self-help book or enrol in mindfulness classes to try to make yourself a better person. But instead, why not save some time, effort and money by opting to attend this show by Lawrence Mooney on the merits of simply accepting that you’re a loser?
Mooney is a self-described self-help addict and has unsuccessfully tried it all: books, classes, breathing exercises, mantras, influencers - you name it, he’s tried it. Armed with a giant flip pad, Mooney (who is perhaps best known for his spot-on Malcolm Turnbull impression) shares his top tips, including killing your dreams and accepting that you’re simply not good enough.
On paper, that probably sounds depressing, but thanks to Mooney’s expert comedic timing, you’ll be laughing too much to realise the true depths of your despair. Across the hour, a few of Mooney’s jokes didn’t quite hit the mark; namely, some tired quips about the ‘woke left’ with no tie-in to the overarching theme of the show. But these moments are few and far between, with most of Mooney’s set leaving the audience in stitches.
When the hour is up, you might feel two things: motivated to be your true (awful) self and unsure of where to go from here. Don’t fret: Mooney wasn’t sharing this advice out of the kindness of his heart; it’s also partly to promote his book of the same name, where you can get even more of his de-motivational tips.
Lawrence Mooney’s Embracing Your Limitations is at the Athenaeum Theatre from March 29 to April 9. Tickets start at $35 and are available through the MICF website.
Want to know which shows have us LOLing in the aisles this year? Check out our guide to Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2023.