Four young comedians are seeking the true meaning of comedy. Their business plan? A seriously silly assortment of absurdist sketches.
They enter dressed on theme: business up top (shirts and ties), pleasure below (jorts). The Melbourne-based group announce their intention to save sketch comedy, and by extension, the world. It’s a lofty (and rather nebulous) mission, and they promise it’s going to get weird.
The team behind Business and Pleasure are a likeable and engaging bunch. Callum stands out for his straight-faced delivery and deadpan asides, and for his memorable effort as a French bedbug. Later, as a stressed-out arts student, he pairs well with Sam, playing a freshly qualified therapist. Tim proves adept at physical comedy in his role as a brown snake, while Laura is admirably quick at reacting to unscripted moments, turning audience contributions and tech glitches to the show’s advantage. All do well at handling these interruptions cheerfully, such that a voiceover cue coming at the wrong time or a costume change taking a beat too long only adds to the show’s impish fun.
The final sketch — their longest — is well structured and packed with satisfying references to previous characters. It provides some coherence to a show that takes a while build momentum. The first half, in particular, feels like a collection of amusing odds and ends that might’ve worked well as transition pieces between longer scenes but don’t quite have enough in them to stand as fully developed sketches on their own.
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Audience participation is integrated with varying success. At the show’s midpoint, Laura and Sam roam the crowd with clipboards and survey questions. Without microphones, it’s difficult to hear their interactions with even the most enthusiastic respondents (those less keen to broadcast their views on group sex may find this a blessing). Later, they bring out a series of letters addressed to people “comfortable reading aloud in public”, and those who identify themselves as such are given the honour of sharing the contents. It’s an inventive approach that gets the best out of their audience.
Business and Pleasure has a lot going for it: promising young talent, and some genuinely fresh ideas. It may not always work, but it won’t be like anything else you’ve seen either. For that, they might be worth your investment.
Business and Pleasure is playing at Fool’s Paradise until 27 February
Read more 2025 Adelaide Fringe coverage here on InReview