Grant Busé is blessed with classical good looks, musical talent and a flair for making things funny. However, he wants you to believe he’s unlucky. It’s the Busé curse, you see. Their family motto (How very Game of Thrones) is basically Murphy’s Law: If it can go wrong for the Busés, then it will go wrong for the Busés. However, in his new show Grant Busé: Touché Busé, Grant bucks the trend and it all goes very right indeed.
A full package of rock star comedy entertainment.
Comedic songs are teamed with short stand up interludes. Both were hilarious and the packed out audience lapped it up, laughing throughout the hour-long set. You could say that Grant Busé is reminiscent of his Aussie lookalike, Tim Minchin, or equally introspective musical comedians, Flight of the Conchords (although let’s not lump all the antipodeans in together, they’ll get upset). However, Grant has a unique warmth that captures the audience from the get-go. Strutting on stage looking like ‘Jesus on a surfboard’ in head-to-toe white, apart from holographic gold trainers, his charm leaves the audience putty in his hands. Even when faced with some (pretty friendly) heckles he deals with them magnanimously. And yes, before you ask, he did once appear on Neighbours (and it checks out on IMDB).
Busé worked hard, incorporating dance, mime, keyboard, guitar and more into his set, crafting a full package of rock star comedy entertainment. Unfortunately, he almost got too involved in the music and sometimes his rock and roll enunciation occasionally made it hard to hear the sharp wit of the lyrics. The recorded pieces also needed a little reworking as they didn’t leave enough time between the gags to let the audience laugh.
There’s nothing here that would trouble Oscar Wilde or Jane Austen for the crown of social satire; Busé keeps his subjects safe throughout. From day-to-day general anxiety (Did you definitely lock the door when you left??) to cleaning the house in preparation for a date, the material never strays too far from relatable. However, when you’ve got a whole audience singing Hallelujah, even in an (Alanis Morissette inspired?) ironic parody, does it really matter? Although his ultra-glam trainers sadly fall apart on stage, his well-structured set never does. The energy stays sky high throughout and there isn’t a moment where you'll get bored.
Let’s hope Busé never decides to do ‘serious’ music, because the comedy circuit would lose a real star. And if Busé’s theory is correct, that it’s "The blows that make shows", then he’ll need to hope that something goes wrong very soon because he won’t be getting any material after this incredible success.
