Charlie Lewin @ Gilded Balloon Teviot

Charlie Lewin, it seems, has spent his life trying to find exactly where it is that he belongs. From attempting to find his flock as a theatre-loving queer kid that went to a Catholic boy’s school in Melbourne, to now trying to find his space in the online sphere (He’s too old for TikTok, he says, but too young for Facebook. Big relate).

His coming-of-age story is told through a series of musical numbers and funny anecdotes, but it is the former where Lewin truly shines. He’s classically trained, and it shows. The gig opens with an interaction with a teacher in a flashback which seems misplaced in the overall scheme of things, but the musical number that follows quickly subdues any mounting qualms from the audience. He manages to insert a few whip-smart quips into this first song, which reassures us that this won’t just be an hour of self-indulgence, but a necessary retelling of his growing up and coming out.

Despite his alleged generational displacement, a few of his jokes feel a little Gen Z. They feel familiar; iterations of safe humour plucked straight from the realm of content-sharing platforms. It is in his personal anecdotes – the downloading porn onto the family laptop, starring in ‘Jesus Christ, This Is Your Life’ – that Lewin feels most refreshing, most authentic. The more graphic sections of his hour are easily his funniest, and luckily these outnumber all else.

Lewin’s enthusiasm is boundless. His energy is infectious and his capabilities as a comic are apparent in the subdued, knowing looks he shares before delivering impeccably timed one-liners. In short, Lewin is a true performer. In a sweet – yet, not cloyingly so – finale he reveals that he has found his space in this world. Alongside what he tells us, Lewin has found exactly where he belongs: here, onstage, making us laugh. Jesus Christ, what a great life.

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Charlie Lewin: Cockatiel, Gilded Balloon Teviot (Turret), until 28 Aug (not 15 Aug), 9.40pm, £11.50-12.50