Originally published at The Pun, April 2012.
Out of the way and next to the Yarra, Signal was a simple venue fitted for the simple lessons from a wide-eyed boy named Luis. Luis was embarking on an adventure to the Kidney Kingdom to find his kindly Father a new kidney. A man with the heart of a boy (his age most likely in single digits) wears knitted op-shop jumpers, his hair neatly slicked back and walks through life overawed by almost everything, adopting an honestly upbeat attitude (until the abstract villain “bad thoughts” attack) all the while faithfully accompanied by his cat, “Cattie.”
In a delightfully and purposefully inept mission, Luis and family spin a simple children’s tale full of surreal Tim & Eric-isms and sight gags. Luis is joined by his bizarre, cardigan-clad keyboardist father Len (who bears more than a passing resemblance to Neil Hamburger) and his brother Luelin act as stage hand, presumably strongarmed into the role judging from his face plastered with indifference and mute from start to finish.
Lessons with Luis was like staying over at the weird kid’s house for “family story time.” The players’ sing-song naiveté was more than safe for children – they’d delight in holding up cardboard fish as Luis travelled through the ocean and giggled excitedly at the chance to win prizes; it’s quite literally innuendo free.
Despite being pitched at kids, the show from top to bottom ran thick with guffaws and belly-laughs from the adults, especially when Luis interrupted the show to introduce his “lessons” presented in stand-up, audience participation and song. Luis’ cheery and clumsy disposition as he rattled off puns simply added to the humour, a synth-heavy soundtrack faithfully ripped off from low-rent 80s children’s programs adding a whiff of nostalgia to proceedings. Len would interrupt overbearingly insistent that costume changes was “not the interval,” helping Luelin with props and dancing to Frank Sinatra tunes (with the most beautiful girl in the room, plucked not so subtly from the audience)- even the touching denouement was genuinely heart-warming in its own zany way.
There’s only three more trips through the Kidney Kingdom left, so take the family before the Kingdom closes forever! Highly recommended.
