Melbourne’s The Very Good Looking Initiative continue their sophisticated observations of society in Poopie Tum Tums. I’m not joking. It’s far more than bad acting in hats and a sketch about getting fingered at the year ten social.
Honor Wolff and Patrick Durnan Silva have an onstage chemistry that could leave their names connected for years as it swings between “I shouldn’t be this aroused” and “I can’t un-see that”. They’ve already tackled issues around social media and failure, but they were Fringe shows and exploratory indie theatre doesn’t belong in a comedy festival. So this is all sketch, skit and improv – about sketch, skit and improv. And about festivals, festival shows and what we expect to see in every festival show.
There’s no-improv improv, the threat of the devil, an extended sketch in wigs set in the oh-so-funny 1960s, another extended sketch, an attempt to appeal to more than “women and gays”, and the obligatory “look at me doing proper acting in my comedy show so that I will get a proper acting job and never have to do comedy again”. All linked with dancing and jokes about masturbation.
It’s as surreally stupid as a show called Poopie Tum Tums should be and smart enough to ensure that no one can giggle when they say the title.
They are also sick of being called hilarious by critics – but they are.
And we are grateful to the so-darn-wonderful Butterfly Club for not creating their usual matching cocktail for this show.