Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

The Burton Brothers were one of the finds of last year’s Melbourne comedy festival, with their distinctive, tightly scripted show set entirely in 1925.

Yet for the follow-up they have abandoned the very tightness that made them stand out for a much sloppier offering – and it feels like the wrong choice. Improvised mucking about should be the garnish for the hour, not the meat, especially as Fortune Seekers has a convoluted plot that needs to be advanced.

It revolves around a grouchy billionaire seeking an heir for his fortune since he most certainly won’t leave it to the long-suffering valet whom he barely considers human. So he summons four randomly-chosen candidates to his mansion - and whoever brings him joy shall inherit it all.

In contention are a flamboyant and pushy stage mum trying to vicariously relive her moment in the spotlight through her daughter; a Poirot style master detective able to make intricate deductions from the tiniest clues;  ‘the suavest man at the party’ and a character so thinly drawn – by design – that his only trait is ‘drinking bubble tea’.

Real-life siblings Tom and Josh have much fun switching swiftly between their alter-egos – cartoonish archetypes for sure, but entertaining ones. The Burtons are talented sketch actors, able to convey character with the subtlest of actions, even though they often prefer more exaggerated ones. 

Mime is a forte, from the pain of walking on broken glass to a gratuitous but funny bit of imaginary falconry, and they nail the vaudevillian tunes that bookend the elaborate saga.

But there’s a dependence on cheap gags, with the tone set by an extended fisting mime early on, and too many moments of improv that descend into the self-indulgent. 

They may make a meta joke of the fact they haven’t written a pivotal bit of exposition so just jump ahead, but it also exposes a truth that the show is undercooked and rather too reliant upon their charm in improvising. They have that ability, for sure, but are capable of more.

Review date: 11 Apr 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival