A one-man show starring Michael Burgos, The Eulogy details the procession of insincere eulogies at the funeral of Thomas, a greatly disliked sack of a man, whose uncontrolled consumption induced a fatal heart attack.
In its Australian debut, The Eulogy is a sombre affair; not because we mourn the death of Thomas, but because we mourn the loss of an hour that might only have been worse if one spent it trying to coax an ounce of personality out of Bill Shorten.
As the audience sat in near silence, with laughs few and far between, Burgos forged on admirably. It was a stark contrast to the plentiful, raucous laughter comedian and ex-Triple J Breakfast Host Tom Ballard produced in his stand-up the night before. However, it is worth remembering the performer’s courage and creative efforts, and that shows such as this are a staple part of the festival, inevitably sneaking into any Fringe-goers diet.
Without more than a half-dozen props, Burgos gave a very physical, high-energy performance; tumbling, miming and – inexplicably – interjecting the affair with musical numbers and interpretive dance. Seamlessly moving from one character on to the next, each of the five honouring Thomas’ memory in their own Godforsaken way, he attempted to embody a variety of roles; be they meek, filled with religious fire, or thirstin’ after Thomas’ widow.
Boasting reviews from its American run that laud the show, its popularity there might be explained by its obvious and uncomplicated nature.
The Eulogy runs until February 3 at Casa Mondo in The Pleasure Garden.
Words by Samuel J. Cox
Don’t know what happened the night you went,but Tuesday nights performance had the audience laughing throughout,I had to temper my laughter so as not to miss anything.To compare this you stand up is ludicrous,this is comic theatre at its absolute best, the man is a genius.The best comedy act I have seen at the festival yet.
I wish I’d read this review before I wasted an hour at his show. It was dreadful – cliched, unfunny, boring at best and sleazy at worst. Plus fat jokes are unfunny, especially when they’re dumb and repetitive.