Browse reviews

Edinburgh Fringe 2019

Grant Buse: Touchè Busè

Grant Busè

Genre: Comedy, Music, Stand-Up

Venue: Gilded Balloon

Festival:


Low Down

Grant Busè an incredibly talented performer. His award winning brand of musical comedy has been hit at other festivals and it is easy to see why. Unusually for a musical comedian he can do both and so much more. This is not your standard musical comedy performance, this is a showcase. He is a trickster and entertainer, he makes it fun, lots and lots of fun.

Review

Sometimes a reviewer’s heart sinks at the thought of another musical comedian and on occasions you are pleasantly surprised.

Australian musician, writer, actor, mime, dancer and all-round entertainer brings an exciting, energetic fun filled hour to The Patterhoose. Looking like a stereotypical Aussie surfer dude this pocket rocket is loaded with talent.

It would be easy to make lazy comparisons with the comical musical superstar, Tim Minchin but Grant Busè isn’t trying to copy him. Apart from the hair, the piano playing and the comic songs they are very different.

Grant is a more skilled comedian. He delivers stories, anecdotes and banter with the same skill and aplomb as a straight stand up. He goes on to introduce acting, theatre, dance and mime laced with real comedy. One segment is a physical theatre/dance sequence performed to a soundtrack, with great skill, impeccable timing and hilarious results.

It’s far from a traditional stand up show. The segment links aren’t so much personal revelations as a clever framing device joining different parts together. The show is about turning blows into shows, a hackneyed theme which is used to get the crowd on board and give the illusion of structure.

Mr Busè’s songs are well written and beautifully performed. He has a very good voice, can play the guitar and keyboard with a cool, relaxed, effortless ease. He has charm to burn and an infectious energy.

He’s an entertainer, in the old-fashioned sense. The audience are energised, he uses his skill and material to make us feel part of the show. Cavorting around the stage until it can contain him no longer and he joins us in the crowd, laughing, joking and telling stories.

He says he is a practical joker and its clear there is a love of clever trickery and japes. Everything is delivered with a sense of fun, even the sad bits.

For all the praise there are some minor points that may be considered in a bit more detail. The lighting cues are disjointed with blackouts that last too long and switches from bright to dark which are hard on the eye. Not all the linking segments work but, as with all stand up comedy shows these will evolve as he progresses. There is a current trend in comedy to signal call backs, hopefully it will be over soon.

Part of its appeal is that this is a bit different from a standard musical comedy show, it’s a showcase. Personally, I’m not a big fan of musical comedy. All to often one, or both elements are missing. Any commentary I provide can lead to an unfair bias against a piece of work, something to guard against. In this case the skill of the entertainer was all too apparent. The comedy, music, acting, dancing and songs were excellent. The performance was packed with gusto and rattled through its hour. The audience reaction, even allowing for it being a Friday Night, provided clear evidence of how much they enjoyed it. I concurred.

This is not a budget Tim Minchin, its Grant Busè and his show is Highly Recommended. #F……Grant

Published