Review: Leigh is devilishly funny

The Devil Wears Leigh Buchanan

Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse and Troy Armstrong Management

Visy Theatre

Brisbane Powerhouse

New Farm

Season ends with 9 pm show on Saturday April 18. Tickets: $36. Bookings: www.brisbanepowerhouse.org Box Office: (07) 3358 8600

Could Leigh Buchanan be Australia’s answer to Julian Clary? That is a question that entered my head as I watched him perform at the Brisbane Powerhouse last night. There is a similarity between Leigh and the English comedian, an appeal in the honesty of a performance that is not restricted to a gay audience. He is a very likeable naughty boy.

He is an openly gay comic, a cheeky devil in Katherine Hepburn trousers, sparkly stilettos and a pair of red horns on his head. He has good comic timing; witty patter, sometimes dry and sometimes cutting, and always ready with a sharp ad lib. The audience loved his performance.

He is also has strong singing voice that he uses well in his comedy (The Little Drummer Boy will never sound the same again!) and is an excellent mimic in song. (Judy Garland was the standout for me).

This short season is a repeat of a previous production at the Powerhouse and this fashion designer, dressmaker and dresser brought back a host of obvious fans. It was the first time for me and I laughed a lot during the one-hour performance, He has an engaging on-stage persona as he tells stories from his life as the odd one out in a traditional family in Ipswich.

He has some funny stories, some poignant yarns too – and a host of outrageous claims to family fame and lack of fortune with tales of adoption and celebrity parents and back stage birth, all told with amazing sincerity.

We hear if him picking flowers while the other boys played cricket or football, of his failed attempts to get onto Australian Idol and his success in Project Runway Australia where he was a runner up in series one which aired last year.

He is a gem of a storyteller.

He sprinkles his at with a few jabs at fashion giants of the past, has fun with TV celebrities, and adds a sprinkle of sex and good old-fashioned double entendres. Sometimes it was old-time vaudeville comedy, a bit bawdy, tongue in cheek rude but never offensive like so many stand-up comedians that pepper the festivals these days. There was the occasional four letter word, but his is not an act that depends on bad language for laughs.Leigh Buchanan is a funny man and a lot fun to watch on stage,