Tom Walker has had a whirlwind twelve months, winning Best Newcomer at last year’s Comedy Festival, joining the cast for the Australian version of Whose Line is it Anyway?, and powering through international festivals. This year, Bee Boo, in homage to last year’s show with the drop of a letter from each word, provides a very intense and hilarious hour of absurdist comedy that endearingly promotes itself upon the fact that it is not a show for everybody.
The audience are introduced early on to a tally of how many walkouts have occurred during the show’s run in Adelaide in comparison to where Melbourne momentarily stands, and that is an ingenious ploy in itself. The show is punchy and entertaining, wonderfully uncomfortable in parts, offbeat in the traditional sense of set-up and resolution, and unapologetic to the uninitiated few who like their humour safely digestible.
Walker has a sustained and manic energy that really drives this show to whatever appreciation awaits. There is as much humour in the way he conducts himself throughout the show as there is in the material and the props in his arsenal, and reactions, whether grand or groaned, further fuel him to deliver upon the persona of an artist who loves to perform. The diary interludes solidify the struggle, a surprise reveal shows Walker’s love of the art, and ultimately the pieces, no matter how jagged, come together nicely.
There may be people who leave without a notion of how splendid this show is, but then one must ask why they bought a roller-coaster ticket in the first place. If you like quirky thrills, get to purchasing.
– Corey
Corey M. Glamuzina is a Melbourne-based actor, writer, improvisor and comedian with an avid involvement in the art of theatre and film.
Tom Walker – Bee Boo runs from 30 March to 23 April (no shows Mondays), 9.45pm (60mins) at The Victoria Hotel, Acacia Room. Sunday shows are at 8.45pm. Purchase tickets now.
The venue is accessible.
Read The Plus Ones’ guide to MICF 2017, and visit often to see all our reviews.
