Benny Boot’s hour of stand up, surreal interludes and an extended, plaintive song ‘There’s an I in Loneliness’ on guitar was a creative, endearing and very funny hour spent at the Underbelly. Australian Comedian Boot is about to hit the big time and records a TV special pre-empting his success, however the plug is pulled and the consequences of this let down reveal Benny’s sad and lonely past; his journey to prove himself as a standup comedian and his desperation for his mother’s love.
Boot is one to watch for sheer originality and I’m sure he will be seen on TV again very soon.
Aided by two ninja figures in black holding cleverly crafted flash cards, portrayals of his subconscious give a dynamic surreal edge to panic situations such as being heckled or trying to riff off a subject suggested by the audience. These scenes were brilliantly crafted and amusing, getting the audience on side for the remainder of the show.
Many of Boot’s jokes focus on extraordinary hypothetical scenarios, practical jokes he likes to play on pizza delivery guys and how he deals with paranoia and loneliness in everyday life. He is in fact so lonely he eats Doritos whole in anticipation of choking just so that someone will give him the Heimlich maneuver so he can be hugged.
The visual climax was the fantastic segment of Boot and his Ninjas training him ‘Rocky’ style for his big comeback in show business with some truly great gags.
As seen on TV is a well-paced and entertaining show bursting with ideas. Boot’s extended stories and his accompanied skit on guitar were definitely his strengths, working much more for us than the short unrelated jokes, which sometimes possessed too many pauses for thought. Boot is one to watch for sheer originality and I’m sure he will be seen on TV again very soon.
