Zoe Lyons is no stranger to Australia
Zoe Lyons is no stranger to Australia, having backpacked around the country in a Ford panel van. During her adventure she worked on a Banana farm in Queensland and describes her interactions with the wildlife as “borderline horrific”.
Lyons returns to Australia for Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Like most Europeans, the Australian weather ranks highly amongst her predicted highlights. “[I am looking forward to seeing] the sun. We have had a long cold winter in the UK and I need some sun. I realise you guys are slipping into Autumn now, but it will still be better than our Summer. I have a real thing for the trees in Australia, I could look at them all day,” she says.
Lyons started comedy in 2003 and says, “I think there is something slightly addictive about it. The feeling you get after a good gig is great. Writing a new bit of material gives me a real buzz. It does have its less great time though. Probably the thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that not only can I not do anything else, [but that] even if I could I would be bored in seconds.”
A keen observational mind is both a blessing and a curse, and Lyons says hers is rarely switched off. “I guess it is always on. Whenever I see anything in the street or something happens to me it is like a reflex… ping… something in my head goes, ‘OK, how can we make that funny?’ I love watching people, I love watching people reacting with each other.”
Her show, Clownbusting looks at the search for contentment, something she’s found impeded in the past by her tendency to worry. “I am a bit of a worrier. I am getting better at dealing with things as I get older. You realise that actually there are very few things that warrant wringing your hands about. I walk a lot and I have started running. I am a rubbish runner, I look like a penguin in a rush; I get no style points but it is good for my head,” she says.
Zoe Lyons performs Cloudbusting at Melbourne Town Hall’s Powder Room from March 31 – April 24. It’s at 7.15pm Tuesday – Saturday and 6.15pm on Sundays. Tickets are $23 – $29.50 and available through Ticketmaster online, 1300 660 013 and at the door.
