Fringe Interview: Becky Lucas

We spoke to Becky Lucas in the lead up to the launch of her new stand-up comedy tour, ‘Um, support me?!’, this weekend at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. She told us why the unique, ‘rough around the edges’ atmosphere at the Adelaide Fringe is so great, even if its streetside whip-crackers attract ridiculously large crowds.

Apart from Perth’s Fringe World Festival held at the beginning of the year, Adelaide is one of the first stops for many Fringe performers before they make their way to Australia’s eastern cities.

However, Becky Lucas will launch her new stand-up comedy show Um, support me?! in Adelaide because she’s decided Perth crowds – with its many ‘red-faced, aggressive men’ – just don’t agree with her.

There must be must be something in the West Australian waters, because the 29-year-old has some impressive national and international credits as a stand-up comedian, actor and writer.

Becky’s experience includes co-writing for two popular comedy series, Matt Okine’s The Other Guy and Josh Thomas’s Emmy-nominated show, Please Like Me, as well as acting in a long list of TV shows.

But, Becky began her career with stand-up comedy about seven years ago. She’s done several solo tours, performed at the Sydney Opera House and the Edinburgh Fringe, and opened for comedians such as Wil Anderson, Jim Norton and Joel Creasey.

This year is her Adelaide Fringe solo debut, and she’s eager to get amongst it all with her first run in Stirling tonight.

‘I’m going to get really wrapped up in the spirit of the Fringe, I might even cut a fringe, a trendy little one just in time for Melbourne.’

Becky Lucas // Image supplied by Hannah Watkins Publicity

Becky is particularly excited about launching her tour in Adelaide, not just because she ‘becomes sick of saying the words (after a few cities)’, but because there’s something that sets Adelaide apart from other Fringe Festivals.

She says art can often be exclusive and inaccessible in bigger cities, but in Adelaide, ‘the whole town turns out.’

‘If it’s the one time a year some guy called Jim goes out and sees a show, then I think that’s really good.’

Because of this, Becky thinks there’s a different atmosphere at the Adelaide Fringe, where ‘everything’s a little bit rough around the edges.’

‘I feel like it’s the place everyone goes to try stuff out, which is cool, because I think you get to see something in its more truer form, before it becomes more polished.’

As for her show, which has ‘a lot of irreverence (and) a lot of dumb ideas’, she’s trying less to please her crowds and sticking true to what she thinks is funny.

‘I’m being a little self-indulgent this year which might turn people off, but maybe it’ll be good.’

‘You’ll walk away knowing what it’s like to know me, or be friends with me … which is another way of saying I haven’t got any jokes. It’s just conversation,’ she laughs.

The title Um, support me?! also signals her ‘very me-me-me, self-centric show’, but more so, the sentiment behind most comedy acts.

‘I guess it’s just me taking the piss out of the shitty life I’ve chosen to lead … a little nod to me being like “I get it guys, I know this is ridiculous, however, please come”.’

While Becky’s self-deprecating humour has me chuckling, especially as she tells me the Adelaide Fringe always has ‘a guy that cracks a whip and gets a bigger crowd than you … it’s kind of depressing’, I have no doubt her show will be a hit.

With eight shows in the next nine days, she hasn’t got many plans for the remainder of her time in Adelaide.

‘I guess I’ll go to the bakery, go get a pie … just have fun and sink a few schooners.’

In between pies and schooners, catch Becky Lucas this weekend at the Stirling Fringe, or next week at Gluttony.

Tickets are available here.