Latest Reviews

This boy's been spending a lot of time alone in his bedroom, thinking odd thoughts. His show, as he lets us know himself, has been described as too gay and theatrical, or too weird and surreal, or too off-the-wall. It is all of these things. It won't have you in hysterics but it will have you reeling in delight at his imaginative leaps and flights of fancy. One example: 'I wish I had a black girlfriend. Then when we were doing a 69, I could call it yin-yanging.' You gotta love the way the kid's mind works. "We're in the Forum," he says. "But don't be tricked by the name. There'll be no talking or asking questions during the show."

Burnham is a You Tube sensation, as the story goes, and he seems not to have compromised a whit for the stage. In case we aren't actually listening he reminds us how the show is all over the place. The show does appear made up on the spot, with repeated thank you's to the audience for coming along in the first place, as though he really can't believe what he's doing here. He wonders what it is all about. ( "Love me!" is the answer.) He does an odd routine to a voice-over about his current success via comments from various characters, including old school mates and a theatrical agent, which then  morphs into a rap. His approach veers wildly between insecure young man and wildly aggrandised rap star, he constantly refers to the audience's reaction, pre-empting people's responses to the unsayable. Vis a vis his education at a catholic boys school and the possibility of his going to hell: "I've been to Christian hell." Here you expect him to talk about his schooldays. "Hitler was there and so were the Jews. There were some awkward moments."

Burnham keeps deconstructing the show as he goes along. "It's my first sold-out show. DON'T LOOK AROUND!" The audience isn't allowed to get cosy. Burnham is  oddball and completely unpredictable. The only comic I could compare him  to is David O'Dougherty (meets Sam Simmons), but Burnham is not really like O'Dougherty, who is positively sweet in comparison, it's just that Burnham too, has a keyboard and sings daft, occasionally rhyming, songs. He also plays the guitar and blasts out his post punk rap wtih relish. Sometimes the songs are delivered at such a fercocious pace you miss half the words. Which is a pity, cos he's got an unreal way with them. Anyone who can bring grammar into a show and make it work gets my admiration. There are some dick jokes but mostly in song. And riffs on statistics, irony and whatever else comes to mind. Haikus. Whatever ...


Adrian Bohm Presents
Bo Burnham

Part of the 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Venue: Forum Theatre Downstairs | Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, Melbourne
Dates: 19 – 24 April, 2011
Times: Tue-Sat 7pm, Sun 6pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $36.95
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013