Melbourne based comic Lou Wall’s show Lou Wall vs The Internet is nothing short of a riot – an immaculately crafted one at that – with not a single second wasted. It’s a chaotic, mile-a-minute, 4th wall breaking invitation into Wall’s mind, specifically, her complex relationship with the internet, and her best friend (which, to be clear, are two separate things).
Driven to madness with the jealousy she feels over her best friend’s/ arch enemy’s online existence – the successes of her career, her holidays, her beauty – Wall is determined to overcome this, by beating her at her own game. Wall takes the audience on a journey that descends into mania, complete with screams, toe porn and shrek memes.
This hour is slick, with so much energy and content rammed in, that you leave feeling you got your money’s worth. The manic speed of the show manages to capture exactly the infuriating and overwhelming nature of the internet and our relationship with it; with Wall at one moment, enjoying the highs of viral memes (that we are all cult-like familiar with) and of peeping into people’s lives on Instagram, but simultaneously, the ever-present despair that comes with being constantly subject to this vastness of content.
The traits of Wall’s hour are reminiscent of those used by a few fantastic acts; the speed and energy of the likes of Demi Lardner or Alice Frasier, the discomforting subject matter of Bo Burnham’s special ‘Inside’, and the snippets of mania of Fleabag.
For me, some particular highlights include: Wall reaping the ridiculous rewards of the internet by finding someone online who’s willing to pay for her ‘feet and toe pics’ (feat. a particularly disturbing video involving peanut butter), and the show’s conclusion: an equally powerful and uncomfortable video reel – which I won’t spoil – that shows Wall’s mastery in it’s dark honesty and her ability to use humour to cut through utterly skin-crawling moments. Definitely, not one to miss.
You can catch Lou Wall vs The Internet at 7:50 PM, until 27 Aug, at Studio Four, Assembly George Square Studios. Grab a ticket here!
