There’s little joy for the elderly in general. Your joints ache, your eyes don’t work for shit, your favourite TV shows have all been cancelled. A lot of this is true for the wealthy as well. Well, for a certain fabulously wealthy old man, life brings him no happiness at all. At least, not since losing his favourite manservant nearly 2 decades ago.
In between being disgusted by the presence of his current lickspittle and disappointed in his deep, DEEP backrubs, the old curmudgeon has an idea. A competition where the winner will be the individual who can bring him the most joy! These random candidates must first make their way across the globe in a race to the finish line. Well, it’s not really a “race” so to speak but it really is a mad, mad world!
It was late March 2025 and that could only mean one thing. It’s time for this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival! My first show of the season is the latest effort from Tom and Josh Burton, the Burton Brothers! Australia’s hottest fraternal comedic double act. Sketch comedy, improv, musical numbers, prat falls, audience participation, sibling bickering and constant rewrites! A Burton Brothers show has it all!
I was introduced to the Burton Brothers by chance a few years ago as they were special guests in a variety show performed by Jon Walpole and Jeromaia Detto. Since then, I have made it an effort to catch every new show of theirs and they have proven to be highlights of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne Fringe. I’ve seen them as Vegas performers in ‘Vegas Residency‘, pre Great depression entertainers in ‘1925‘ and now an eclectic group of entrepreneurs in ‘Fortune Seekers‘.
The show opens (well more or less) with what has become a tradition of the Burton Brothers‘ shows, the musical number! Setting up the audience for the tone of the night and that which will follow. It’s a road song the likes of which you’d hear in an old Bob Hope and Bing Crosby movie, the kind which inspired Family Guy’s creator Seth McFarlane. It’s catchy and upbeat before being subject to rewrites mid-song leading to a much more horrifyingly dour affair.
The brothers have a natural chemistry together as has been shown with all their previous outings. The two rib each other and tease about gags not working or when one of them screws up a line or steps on the other’s performance. This being so ingrained into the flavour and character of the show, that even when something doesn’t work as intended, it’s still made hilarious in execution.
Our intrepid pioneers are introduced, all 4 of them, with number 5 being cut from the act so recently, the brothers forget they did so. There’s our Poirot-esque master detective able to solve mysteries through deduction and impossible reason. A “dance-mom” re-living her once fleeting fame by proxy through her daughter. The suavest, slick, stupendously charming secret agent spy on the planet, breaking down opponents with a 1-2-3 punch of compliment, pop (a cork) and pouring a glass of champagne. And then there’s a guy called Neil who likes bubble tea…
Prior shows (at least the ones I’ve seen) were a series of sketches loosely linked around an overall theme. This time around, ‘Fortune Seekers’ has more of a narrative with an overall story driven by the characters and building to a conclusion where everyone comes together in a face off.
But it is still a selection of hysterical sketch work which reach the same heights of ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus‘. Seriously, that “Man in the wall” sketch was brilliant. There’s no set or props to speak of, just the two lads, two chairs and a surprisingly robust sound effects technician! In the same way that the two brothers put each other to the test, so do they flex on the man with his finger on the buttons, just to see if he can keep up!
With the Melbourne Town Hall’s Flag Room feeling a little more compact than other venues, it hampered the audience participation slightly. Other set ups I’ve seen had the boys work the room with much more gusto, being able to move around freely. But when you can only access the front row, your options are limited. As well, the show seemed to start a little late unfortunately with the boys being told by the techs they were running long. Leading to a little more rushed finale as time was short.
Regardless, the entire packed crowd absolutely loved the (slightly less than) hour of entertainment. The Burton Brothers: Fortune Seekers is another great show to seek out for yourself as part of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. No bells, no whistles, just two guys with some really funny material which they’re constantly updating to keep fresh for themselves as much as for the audience.
The Burton Brothers: Fortune Seekers is currently playing at Melbourne Town Hall‘s Flag Room as part of the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival until April 20.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/burton-brothers
Photography supplied.