A Little Vacation with Matteo Lane: The Gay Comic’s Upcoming Performance in Louisville
photo by Troy Hallahan
Though he might not nail the pronunciation of “Louisville” (Looavul or Luhvul), comedian Matteo Lane is set to take the stage at the Brown Theater on Feb 8. His schedule won’t allow for much exploring, he assured Queer Kentucky he’d make time to try a legendary Hot Brown. We sat down with Lane to discuss his plans for his Louisville show.
“It’s always like, sad, because you go to these great cities, and then you get there the day-of, and then you’re at light and sound, and then you’re in prep for show, and then you do the show, and then you’re exhausted after the show, then you sleep, and you wake up and you fly back out the next day,” Lane said.
Lane, an openly gay man with a knack for impersonating the great Liza Minnelli, is known for his unique blend of authentic queer humor covering topics from his journey with hair plugs and his favorite pasta dishes, to reading his drag queen friends that aren’t even in the room—and if you’re lucky, you might get an opera note or two during a set.
“I love stand up. I don’t ever want to quit,” he says. “I want to do it for the rest of my life, and I enjoy the process of joke writing and being on stage and being with comics.”
Lane acknowledges that risk is part of a comedian’s life. In 2021, he performed at Comedy Off Broadway, a small venue in Lexington, where some audience members—apparently unaware that he is openly gay—abruptly walked out mid-set. Despite homophobic interruptions, Lane powered through and delivered laughs to fans.
“I remember Joan Rivers saying in an interview, when you make someone laugh, you give them a little vacation,” Lane said. “And I think back to before, when I was a comedian and I was 16, and if I was upset, I’d watch Kathy Griffin or Margaret Cho, and it always made me laugh. [Comedy] just takes you away, just for a little bit, like it did give you a little vacation.”
In April, Lane is releasing his first book, “Your Pasta Sucks. A Cookbook,” which he describes as part cookbook and part funny short stories. And In May, Lane’s next stand up special will debut on Hulu as part of their new comedy brand, Hilarious.
Tickets for Lane’s Louisville show can be purchased here.
