Two things about this show pushed some personal buttons. First, as a woman on the wrong side of forty, I suffer from an unreasonable bias against young people talking about life as though they have lived through fifty years or more of it – yes, I’m a cranky old bag. Second, having nursed my own mother through terminal cancer, I found aspects of the show brought back emotions I wasn’t up for on a Saturday night out.

That said, I certainly got a few belly laughs out of the show. Others in the audience (mostly younger folk) were completely cracking up. The show uses audiovisual props including a Delta Goodrem diary that is juxtaposed with Luke’s own story. Despite the fact that it sent me home with a bloody Delta tune in my head, the use of this medium worked well and provided a circuit breaker for some of the heavier moments.

The show is well worth seeing, and I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of Luke. He has the confidence, style and delivery of a far more seasoned performer. Luke is one of our great emerging talents.

Never Sweat looks at Thornton’s childhood and adolescence without making the audience feel as though they are sitting through a public therapy session. The focus on the narrative of an Australian regional centre did not exclude those in the audience from overseas. One German woman in the front row ‘completely lost her shit’ (as Thornton put it) listening to an admirable imitation of a German BMW car salesman. Thorton interacted with her and others in the audience in such an easy and affable way that I found myself wanting him to engage directly with me. A lot of others in the audience clearly felt the same way with some displaying very overt ‘pick me’ ‘pick me’ behaviour.

Thornton gives an overtly strong physicality to his show. I found myself seeing glimpses of Jim Carey in some of his faces and movements, but if like me, you can’t stand Jim Carey, don’t let this observation put you off. Despite his physical humour missing the mark with me due to personal preference, I found Thornton totally engaging and am still chuckling to myself, days later.