Marcel Lucont is better than you. He is better at getting women, and he’s obviously better in bed. He’s better at performing than you, he’s better at drinking wine; he’s a better singer and a better writer. He’s certainly more intelligent than you, funnier, better looking, more observant, and more refined. He’s better than your smoking laws. He’s better than your leisure activities. But of course he is: he’s French.
And that pretty much sums up the show. Marcel Lucont – Gallic Symbol is an elaborate parody of French arrogance, all cooked up by Alex Dubus, who is, of course, actually an Englishman – not that you would pick it. As Lucont, he is thickly, convincingly accented and imbued with all of the mannerisms you might associate with the French stereotype. At one particularly funny point in the show, he does a parody of English comedians, and becomes an Englishman pretending to be a Frenchman pretending to be an Englishman. The man has the best of both worlds: he can make fun of his own culture behind the guise of another, while still getting to make fun of the French.
The comedy of this show is very sharp and very dry, and based mostly in the humour of condescension. This would probably work particularly well with Australian audiences and our enjoyment of the piss-take – both of ourselves and others. He goes after the Kiwis, as well as the English, and he goes after us. His misogyny jokes get a little tired and cheap after a while (writes the female reviewer), but his timing and pacing are perfect and there are some laugh-out-loud moments in there that hit quicker than electricity.
It is still a one-man stand-up show, however, and things become stretched occasionally, with some of his devices falling a little flat. There were a couple of awkward songs in there, some sex poetry, and the audience on this particular night weren’t the most responsive, though he handled that very well. Particularly enjoyable were his numbered cards representing certain sexual positions, starting with 69 and getting more complicated from there.
Dubus has two shows in the Perth Fringe this year – this one, and a cabaret show featuring various festival acts. He also has a book, which is very characteristically titled: What We French Think of You English and Where You are Going Wrong.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Marcel Lucont presents:
Marcel Lucont – Gallic Symbol
Performed by Alex Dubus
De Parel Spiegeltent
Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge
29 January – 11 February
Fringe World 2013
www.fringeworld.com.au
25 January – 24 February
