By Ben Madden | @benmaddentweets
Becky Lucas is coming off the back of a huge 2017 and she doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon. Having written for Matt Okine’s show The Other Guy, as well as performing her own Little Bitch show all over Australia and New Zealand (and even at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe!), Lucas is set to take 2018 by storm with her new show, Cute Funny Smart Sexy Beautiful – a title that has interesting origins.
“I was walking behind these girls a few months ago, and they were talking about a job they didn’t get, and it went to a man, and they said ‘I don’t get it, I’m cute, I’m funny, I’m way smarter than him, I’m beautiful, and I’m confident’ and I’m like, yeah, but you also sound like a bit of a dick”, tells Lucas.
“Sometimes, at the end of the day, people sound like dickheads. You make a good point, but you’re also being a bit annoying, which is what people care about. There’s a chunk in my show that’s about people online always being right, and at the end of the day, you’re just making the world a bit worse by talking to people like they’re pieces of shit. I thought it would be funny to have a title that would put people off, because if they don’t get why it’s funny, they won’t get me.”
Preparing for the show this year has been a bit more hectic for Lucas than in past years, due in part to the different projects she’s currently undertaking. “It’s getting harder and harder each year because there’s always a lot of stuff happening. I’m working on a pilot with my friend Cameron (James) and I’m doing stuff for Nazeem Hussein’s new show, so I’m quite busy. It gets harder and harder each year to concentrate.” This is coupled with the fact that 2018’s Cute Funny Smart Sexy Beautiful is the show she has found herself most responsible for producing. “It’s harder and harder because it’s the one with the most pressure. The other stuff is important, but at the end of the day, with stand-up you’re in front of an audience, and if it’s not going well, that’s the one that hurts the most. I make sure I don’t neglect that one too much.”
This show differs from the ones she has done in the past. “It’s the first one where I can’t use material again”, Lucas says. “Often comics will include 5-10 minutes of old stuff to be able to fall back on. It’s hard to write an hour of new stand-up every year. However, because my last show was filmed, I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that. It’s the first show where it’s all new, which is exciting.”
“However, it’s hard to tell people to come along when you’re like ‘I hope it’s good.’ I think it’s good. You’ve gotta rely on the audience to tell you whether it’s good or not.” Having tested some of the new stuff in front of audiences in comedy clubs, Lucas explained the difference in audience vibes. “When you’re doing a stand-up spot, you’re trying to be a bit more broad. You’re trying to cut through with material that’s punchy and across the board relatable. When you’re doing your own show, you can do a joke for them, and a joke for you, one that’s specifically funny to you.”
Her writing process has also evolved over the years, having done multiple solo shows to this point. “I think starting out I was a lot more jokey-jokey; I was always looking for that kind of trick or joke joke, whereas now I try to talk about things that I think are funny and fit the jokes into it. In the past I’d try and write jokes and fit a story into them. I think you develop as a comedian and figure out ways to get places quicker.”
Lucas also mentioned how writing for TV was always a dream of hers, but now that she has the chance to do, it can be a bit of a struggle. “The worst thing about your dreams coming true is that you actually have to do it. Things are always different in real life. I think I just wanted to eat pizza in the writing room. It’s my favourite thing to do, even though I love performing, I love having an idea and writing it out.”
Catch Becky Lucas at the 2018 Melbourne International Comedy Festival! Tickets and extra info about her show available here.