Lou Sanz’s Please Don’t Use My Flannel For That: A Memoir is the quintessential Melbourne International Comedy Festival show: a promising new act performing in the basement of a club hidden down one of the many lanes of Melbourne.

Sanz reads from her memoir, from a time when she moved to Hollywood as a screen writer to make a film. The show outlines the mishaps and misfortunes of her move overseas, with pauses to include additional background information. Sanz has a vast quantity of material, and her stage presence is what makes the material fly. On stage, she has a rich persona – her strong stage presence captivated the audience, and propels her show along. Without her comedic timing the show would have been far less compelling.

Sanz kept up a consistent laugh rate throughout the show, particularly with the older members of her audience. Audience involvement is non-existent as the show progresses as a monologue, however, this doesn’t mean the show is any less amusing. An intimate gig of about 25, buried in the underground of Melbourne, Please Don’t Use My Flannel For That: A Memoir is amusing on a number of levels.