English Breakfast is considered the most British tea of them all, when in actual fact, the brew is a mixed blend of leaves taken from around the world and claimed as British. And in sentiment, do you think that the thievery makes it more or less British?
Much like that cuppa, comedian AJ Lamarque is his own kind of brew. With a mix of Jamaican, Chinese, Indian, South African and Anglo heritages packaged with a British accent, Lamarque is constantly navigating where he really fits in the world, and where a “proper” accent can get him and his friends out of hot water (and what that means). In the meantime, he is also getting mistaken for nationalities and genders other than his own, and has lived to tell the tales of some painfully awkward foot-in-mouth responses when caught off guard.
In the first five minutes of Lamarque’s debut stand-up hour, English Breakfast, he manages to tick off a dig at the LNP, trans rights, the housing crisis and global warming. But don’t be fooled, English Breakfast is not a lecture – unless you count the interludes where the shrill tones of a Hyacinth Bucket-esque woman (voiced by Lamarque) crackles through the speakers and comically leads instructions on how to brew the perfect cup of tea. (Though he wouldn’t mind if you called him “the brown Nanette”.)
In English Breakfast, Lamarque muses on his life at almost-thirty (an age that wouldn’t seem so daunting if it had not been for a twink recently offering up his bus seat to him, and another twink calling him, lord forbid, “daddy” while trying to pick him up at a party). With a charming demeanour that wouldn’t melt butter, Lamarque candidly spills the tea about his upbringing, his mixed-race identity, his queerness and all the other pivotal parts of his life journey to date.
English Breakfast is a quarter life crisis wrapped up in a stand-up show, injected with silly radio play style soundbites, layered with beautiful storytelling, and dusted off with a mix of profoundly honest and vulnerable truths and a scattering of hilarious one-liners (referring to Glebe as “the white market” will stick with me). In his quest to find the perfect cup of tea, Lamarque has baked the perfect triple-decker cake. And we would expect no less from someone who has made as big a splash as he has in Sydney’s comedy scene, running rooms, creating podcasts and collecting accolades.
Now that he has mastered the brew, we look forward to seeing what he pours for us next.
