Before I forget, Melbourne Fringe FestivalPerformer: Annie LoueyVenue: Lithuanian Club – Son of Loft, Errol St, North MelbourneUntil: 9pm tonight and tomorrowRating: ★★★½

FRINGE REVIEW
By TARRYN TOELAU

Before I forget is a fun, interactive and clever hour of jokes and friendly banter between Annie Louey and her audience.

The laughs began immediately as Annie took the stage just to tell the audience she was going backstage again to do her own introduction, and then return.

From there she delved into stories of her recent travels and times she has been forgetful, and poked fun at advice often given when you lose something.

When it came to audience interaction, the shyer members of the crowd easily avoided it by sitting in the back.

Annie created her own Family Feud-style questionnaire of things people forget most often, with audience members guessing. The answers often led to amusing recounting of Annie’s own experiences.

She also brought two members of the audience on stage to draw things from memory. The comedy of this relied on the participants revealing their drawings next to an actual image of the original on TV.  Luckily for Annie, one of the participant’s drawings kept resembling a penis, keeping the audience in hysterics.

The best material was in the first half, with the second half a bit slower. Some reworking to bring a better balance would be better.

The ending was dedicated to Annie’s late father. She showed the audience some beautiful old photographs of his life in Hong Kong and Australia, highlighting the beauty of memories.

Annie is relatively new to the game, which showed with some awkward moments where the audience didn’t react as expected. She covered well though, and with more experience this up and coming comedy star is sure to succeed.

Before I Forget is a different but successful approach to comedy and as a whole is definitely an enjoyable way to spend an hour with friends.