Review – Lawrence Leung: Part-time Detective Agency

Lawrence Leung likes to choose his own adventure and in the past we’ve seen him try to break-dance, use a jetpack and investigate the mysteries of the supernatural. In his new show Lawrence taps into yet another childhood dream and reinvents himself as a modern-day detective.

Taking inspiration and lessons from the cult tv show ‘Bored to Death’ and all of the various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, Lawrence offers himself up as a gumshoe for hire… on Gumtree.

Of course this wouldn’t be a Lawrence Leung show without a thorough examination of embarrassing childhood memories and adolescent angst, and the very best moments are when he picks over his past with a magnifying glass, searching tirelessly for clues and revealing some surprising things about himself to the audience.

There is something about the Swiss Club venue that makes it feel like you are watching a high-school variety show inside a small aircraft. But Leung’s mix of daggy props, awkward audience participation and well-timed slides and videos play into the venue’s lo-fi vibe and add charm to the show.

Leung is one of the nice-guys of comedy and this is definitely the sort of show you could take your mum to, or even a first date (let’s hope they’re not one and the same!), but nice doesn’t mean dull and once things calmed down after the fast-paced and slightly breathless beginning, the jokes packed a solid pun-ch.

If we had ratings on heckler, this show would get four gumshoes out of five.