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Luke & Wyatt have a great show in them, but this isn't it. Despite their manic grins, infectious personalities and boundless enthusiasm, Luke & Wyatt's musical comedy show Stacks On just didn't grab me. Perhaps after coming off the recent high of seeing Good Evening and Tripod vs the Dragon, both exemplary and well-paced tag-team extravaganzas, it was inevitable that my expectations would be too high.

Basically, it's two young guys who make fun of each other, tell jokes and sing songs. One of them has a keyboard. An age-old formula, and some of the material is quite good. But it all seems rather haphazard, like they're just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. Sure, they acknowledge this fairly readily and in a way it's part of their charm, but mostly it just feels awkward.

Some of the better parts of the show included a song about an ambitious corporate climber working at Coles and another about the life outlook of Bratz dolls as opposed to Barbie and Ken. Unfortunately, the truth is neither of them actually sing that well, though they get full marks for effort. Wyatt does seem to have an affinity for beatboxing and hip-hop - the Fish and Chip rap was a highlight, as was an impressive display of beatboxing on a recorder.

It's hard not to like these boys, especially as what they lack in skill they make up for in energy. But it's a crowded festival and this show feels more like a drunken Singstar party at your mate's than something you'd pay to go see. Take the good parts, raise the bar a bit, polish up the vocal work and an evening with Luke & Wyatt would make a much more appealing prospect.


Stacks On
Luke & Wyatt

Directed by Clay Steele

Venue: Trades Hall, The Evatt Room | Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton
Dates: 25 March - 17 April, 2010
Times: Tue - Sat 7pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Prices: Full $18, Concession $16, Tightarse Tuesday $16
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 | at the door
Visit: www.lukeandwyatt.com