Sydney-based comedian Luke Heggie’s show Bush Week is supposed to be about his travels overseas and all the ‘joys’ of backpacking life, but his comedy compass seems to be a little off and unfortunately he’s become lost along the way.
The bones of the dialogue and structure are there and we do hear stories about the more hideous side of things like staying in hostels, weird Americans, drunk Irish and the commonalities of every place you visit.
But Bush Week’s script just isn’t tight and we take some seriously long voyages away from the central theme and they don’t always pay off.
Heggie then has to work really hard to bring the audience back to the laughs. It might be because it’s early in the run, but he also missed a punchline or two, which to his credit he acknowledged with some self-deprecating banter.
Towards the end of the show, Heggie delivers some musical entertainment which seems out of place, but then starts to engage some hilarious one-liners, though without context or theme, they too seem homeless and scared.
The topic of travel isn’t new to comedy but it can be done and done well (see last year’s show from Adam Rozenbachs, Eurodad).
There are moments of gold in this show that showcase Heggie’s abilities, but you can’t help but walk away thinking this act just doesn’t do him justice.
Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 stars
Bush WeekBy Luke Heggie
Tony Starrs, Little Collins St
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
www.comedyfestival.com.au
27 March – 20 April
