Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

If he hadn’t told us he was a ‘musical theatre tragic in recovery’, we would definitely have guessed. Douglas Rintoul combines a crisp singing voice, effortless on-stage sparkle and a persona that’s ‘relatable, charming and coy’ by his own description - and there are no arguments here. 

But while that likability and those well-trained performance chops ensure a merry hour, there’s too little comic meat on the bones.

His opening song - by far his strongest – says the secret of his appeal is his normality while tacitly acknowledging there’s no such thing as a normal. It’s an idea he returns to at the end of the hour, though to suggest that constitutes a theme would be to overstate things.

Generally, we don’t get to know too much about the person behind the performer. He shares a bit about rejection at auditions and the embarrassing memories that keep him awake at night and fuel his anxieties but in a generic way. Relatable, for sure, but also superficial. ‘Don’t talk to me before I’ve had my morning coffee’ is a novelty mug slogan, not a personality type - yet this is one of the traits by which he defines himself.

The songs are musically well-written – what else would you expect? – but lyrically tend to stretch out one gag for a couple of minutes rather than expanding on it or varying it. It’s an easy pitfall for musical comedy to fall into, and he plunges straight in. Away from the songs, he’s capable of a witty aperçu – one about pick-up artists stands out – but there’s not enough to go around. 

In style, Rintoul is strongly influenced by the spritely melodies of Sammy J – save for one quickie straight out of the Aunty Donna playbook – which adds to the feeling he hasn’t found his own voice yet.

Fellow drama-school graduates are likely to lap this up – and there are plenty of in-jokes for the fellow ‘tragics’ – but that appeal is limited, despite his evident talents as a performer and warm, personable presence.

Review date: 7 Apr 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival