Cabaret performer, comedian and musician Lucy Best has spent her life being shamelessly disgraceful. Her aptly named show 'Disgraceful' at Adelaide Fringe explores this through a mix of stand-up, cabaret and sketch comedy.
It's Lucy's first solo show, and as these stories of sheer disgracefulness mount in front of the audience, it won't be long before it's clear that Lucy takes things to truly Olympian levels. . . And she has no intentions of stopping either.
For those who may not be familiar, Lucy is a Melbourne-based British comedian, writer, producer who performs both in Australia and internationally. Her hot takes on themes of feminism, mental health, social justice, sex positivity and gender/sexual diversity have seen her pull audiences all around, and she's also part of comedy group The Goddess Collective with Nicky Barry and Justine Sless.
Before Lucy takes to the stage in her solo show 'Disgraceful' at Adelaide Fringe, she tells us more about what audiences can expect, her performance style, and what's on the horizon.
This is quite the variety show. Tell us a bit about ‘Disgraceful’.
When I decided to write a solo show I was going to make a show about getting older and feeling more confident and happy as I age. Then I had the photoshoot with the incredible Rachel Mia and the images gave me a new idea. They evoked 'walk of shame' vibes and I realised that my path to self-acceptance has been littered with moments of shame and embarrassment because of how others viewed me, or how I feared being viewed. However, as I get older I care less about what others think. So the idea behind 'Disgraceful' was born. It's about rejecting what society says we should be like or should be doing at any point in our lives. If you find yourself staggering home in the early hours, sleep deprived and with a head full of fun memories, then it doesn't need to be the 'walk of shame'. It can be the 'strut of sass'!
What made you decide to inject a bunch of different performance styles into this show?
I didn't like the idea of doing an hour of just talking at people, so including music and sketch comedy breaks it up for me and for the audience. My background is in theatre and I'm a wannabe singer, so including some acting and singing feels like a natural fit. It means that instead of telling you the stories I show you the stories. You come on the journey with me.
For anyone unfamiliar, how would you describe your comedy style?
My style is more storytelling than one-liners. I pepper my stories with jokes and asides but there's always a narrative arc. I'm cheeky and I make fun of myself, in an effort to remind us all that nobody's really got their sh.t together and that's just fine. I'm a woman of a certain age, I'm petite, and I speak with a middle class English accent, that Australians think of as ;proper'. So people often make assumptions about me that get blasted away when they hear my comedy! A reviewer once described me as "Tastefully outrageous", which I happily quote. Although my work contains adult content it's not lewd for the sake of it.
What are you looking forward to about presenting it to Adelaide Fringe audiences?
I've been in many shows as part of Fringe, both as a comedian and a singer, and I had a split show there with Jaxson Garni in 2020. The audiences at Fringe have always been warm and supportive and seem to find me very funny and entertaining, which is of course the goal. I'm thrilled to be returning to Adelaide Fringe with 'Disgraceful', which is my first full-length solo show. I'm proud of the show and I feel My Lover Cindi is the perfect venue for it. We share an appreciation for the kitsch, the brash, the sass, and the delicious queer and inclusive vibes. I'm looking forward to seeing how Adelaide Fringe audiences respond to the show and to the different elements of performance – and of myself – that they'll get to experience.
Why do you think it’s the perfect fit for a festival like the Fringe?
Adelaide Fringe allows artists to experiment and not have to conform and that's what this show is all about: Not conforming, not being afraid to stand out, not taking yourself too seriously, authentic expression, and most of all having fun. I also think the genre non-conforming nature of the show is exactly why fringe festivals exist and I'm here for that.
And what is the ideal response to your material aside from, of course, laughter?
When I did the show in Melbourne in November 2022 an audience member told me afterwards that I'd inspired her to have more sex and drugs in her life. Of course you don't have to have either of those things to have fun, but I thought that was a pretty funny response. I hope that people walk away feeling more proud to be disgraceful – whatever that means for them. And I also want them to love me, because I can't be entirely confident without validation from strangers, can I? Sheesh!
What’s so good about being bad?
Hmmm. Bad is subjective! As long as you're not harming anyone – including yourself – then I believe you should do what you want to do. Doing what you want to do should make you happy and that is very good.
On the flip side of that, do you have a particularly stand-out memory of a time your 'disgracefulness' got you into a bit too much trouble?
Haha! As Butthole Surfers said, "It's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done". I consider myself very fortunate that, despite the ridiculous risks I took in my youth, I'm still here and able to laugh about it all. There were some touch and go times and some darker times, that I only touch on in the show. The stories that did make it into the show all turned out okay – in the end! You'll have to come along and see for yourself.
What’s next for Lucy Best?
'Disgraceful' at Adelaide Fringe is the first stop of what I hope will be a world tour. I'm sure the show will evolve, as will I. I'll be 50 next year (what? No!), and I hope to share my message of ageing disgracefully with the world at large. I love the idea of taking it to the UK, where I grew up and where most of the stories in the show happened. Hopefully some of the people featured in the show can come along and reminisce/cringe along with me!
'Disgraceful' plays My Lover Cindi (Adelaide Fringe) 13-15 March.
