Bags of charm go a long way

Bags of charm, judicious use of PowerPoint and a cracking show title can get you a long way in stand-up. It has certainly helped Lawrence Leung - a Melbourne comic of Chinese extraction - whose heavily scripted set about geekiness and brotherly love is certainly enjoyable, despite being light on killer gags.

This show, a hit at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, serves as a catharsis for Leung's self-esteem issues. Leung's bass-playing older brother Dennis is a magnet for pals and girls; Lawrence, meanwhile, cheerily namechecks The Karate Kid, Star Wars, Rubik's Cube and Choose Your Own Adventure novels. So he bets Dennis he can be as cool as him by the age of 30 and embarks on forays into fashion, chat-up lines, attitude and breakdancing.

Leung doesn't actually bust a move until the show's last 15 minutes or so, which, coupled with a twist that sees him reaffirm his relationship with Dennis, makes for a great finale to wrap up a sweetly upbeat package.

He could have dwelt on his new-found hobby for far longer, though, because the footage of his dire attempts to pop and lock in front of 2,000 people in Melbourne's Federation Square easily gets the biggest laugh of the night.

Not a perfect show but, for a guy who professes to be completely uncool, he's going the right way about winning fans.

Lawrence Leung Learns To Breakdance
Soho Theatre
Dean Street, W1D 3NE