Dumb moments. Embarrassing moments. Moments in life we’d rather forget. Every life has them, though most of us would rather pretend they never existed. But not queer community identity, infamous cabaret performer and director Luke Gallagher. His new show, Luke Back In Anger that opens this week at the Butterfly Club, is his first solo show in 12 years and it celebrates some of his dumbest experiences in his life to date. We chat about some of the instances that Gallagher explores in his show. Moments like when he directed a production of the Passion play where he was also playing Christ, and he fell off the cross.

“The truth is that these stories are pretty fabulous and funny. They happened to me and I still find them funny,” Laughs Gallagher,

All the things that have happened in my life have brought me to where I am today. I’m celebrating that. Dumb things happen to everyone, and I think audiences will really connect with that.”

Gallagher always had aspirations of fame and fortune that often accompany being a performer, and the Victorian town of Bendigo couldn’t contain him for long.

“Hello, it’s Bendigo. I left as soon as I could…” he laughs.

He studied performance at Rusden, sang with the Victoria State Opera touring opera to schools, and appeared in the TV miniseries Eureka Stockade in the 80’s. But it wasn’t till 1997 when he first got involved in the Midsumma and Melbourne Queer Film Festivals that things were set in motion to bring him where he is today.

“I had a lot of trouble reconciling my sexuality and who I wanted to be as a performer. It was that year [1997] that I had my first encounters with the gay scene in a big way… it’s kind of where my journey started. It where I met my collaborators for Friends Of Barbra. It was also the beginning of my community involvement…”

These days Luke Gallagher is easily one of the most recognisable identities in Melbourne’s gay and lesbian community and performance scene. He has also been executive producer for an entertainment production company for the past 5 years, creating and directing events for some of the biggest identities in children’s entertainment. You might recognize him through his warm and enthusiastic MC work at many of Victoria’s queer community and festival events, through his work as a performer in cabaret and theatre or through his work as a highly respected director. He directed the Australian production of the infamous off Broadway musical Zanna Don’t for the Midsumma festival to huge critical acclaim. His energy and enthusiasm is totally infectious.

Luke Back In Anger is about to open and already opening night is sold out, and tickets to the remaining days of the performance are nearly all gone too. It’s a testament to Gallagher’s talent as a performer and standing in the community. He certainly has reached a significant level of success. But is it what he was seeking?

“All performers want the fame and fortune, but as you move on through life some of us realise that the goal posts have moved a bit. It’s not to say that it [fame] won’t happen, but that your skills and strengths are different to what you first thought. You might be famous for being on the production side rather than for being an actor… just to give an example.”

“I see new performers these days and I give them guidance on what their strengths are. It’s something I wish I had as I grew up in this industry… someone to help me fine tune my gifts, find my strengths and direction as an artist. It’s so valuable”

In Luke Back In Anger, Gallagher had the experience of creatively collaborating with writer, reviewer, radio personality and comedian Fiona Scott Norman [ picture 2 ].

“Working with Fiona Scott Norman has been an invaluable experience for me. She’s a great writer and comedian in her own right, but we are also both Virgos. In fact we share the same birthday. There aren’t many people who can give me good direction, but I feel she has an added insight into who I am and how I work. She catches me when I fall back into bad habits and calls me on it… that pushes me to challenge myself as a performer.”

The show features a unexpectedly fresh combination of contemporary songs from the likes of Mika, Kelly Clarkson, and Kylie, all delivered in true Gallagher style. Perhaps the most interesting inclusion is Rumours by Linsay Lohan that’s mashed up with Papparazzi by Lady Ga Ga.

“ LiLo is interesting… on one hand she’s singing about wanting her privacy, but the truth is she thrives on the media attention. It’s typical of a lot of highly visible famous people. It’s one of my favourite songs in the show,” Says Gallagher

There are also a couple of classics in the show. I do some songs by Paul Kelly and Crowded House. Don’t Dream It’s Over has been a favourite of mine for some time now… it’s so emotional and beautiful and open to interpretation.”

So aside from being great material for a show, have all those dumb moments taught Gallagher anything?

“That’s the thing about those dumb moments… they are great opportunities to learn. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s to not let ego and arrogance get in the way of your life… in the way of communication… which is what you do as a performer, but it works for life too. I’ve also learned to trust my gut. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s my most important lesson.”

Luke Back In Anger is on at the Butterfly Club from Thursday 2nd July till Sunday 5th July, at 9pm (8pm Sunday).

Get all the details from our What’s On guide here.