Melbourne Reviews

Lauren Edwards is mad. Faced with climate anxiety and the very real threat that our planet will soon be on fire, along with impossibly high house prices and general impending doom, she has every right to be. Wouldn’t it be simpler if our biggest concern was what was actually happening in the Bermuda Triangle?

Lauren returns to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with her show, Everything is a Lie, a homage to the late 90s and early 00s that is a nostalgic romp through millennial subculture.

Weaving in stories from her days as a Seaworld employee, musical theatre roots and the economic power of big skincare, Lauren is a gifted storyteller. Approachable and charming, she balances her sweet baby angel jokes with blatant rage at the oppressive system we’ve all agreed to live under.

There is some absolute gold in this show, clever, witty moments that had the audience in tears of laughter. Lauren’s understanding of her audience is imperative to her success, she knows her niche and it is working it to her full advantage. She takes her concerns around aging, relationships and the planet and magically makes them relatable and more importantly, funny.

Her musical theatre instincts kick in throughout the show with original songs and choreography worthy of a TikTok dance craze. While I doubt the venue space allowed for it, I would love to see Lauren perform with a live musician as the backing tracks left the songs sounding a little flat and would have benefited from the warmth of live music.

While Lauren is fairly new to the comedy scene, she is building her brand and developing her craft. With an already loyal fan base across social media, she is perfectly placed for greatness.