Stacks On, a musical comedy show by duo Luke and Wyatt, was fast paced with songs covering a wide range of topics that were generally on the silly side. Upon entering the venue there a was buzz and energy which was an indication of what was to come. The boys flitted around the room, welcoming punters and posing for photos with their fans (or were they actually family and friends?). It was either the full rock star treatment or Gen Y’s obsession with recording every moment.
The show was structured as a series of songs with creative links between them. Each song was overflowing with ideas and most ventured to unexpected and hilarious places. Wyatt handled keyboard and Luke played the guitar; either instrument providing the backing behind their voices. The guys’ singing was not particularly strong but they definitely could hold a tune and sing with conviction. A couple of the tunes were transformed into show stopping numbers with brilliant use of a backing track and lighting. There was a tune they used in a parody that I didn’t expect them to be familiar with (which Gen Y boy would know a song from last year let alone the early nineties) which worked a treat.
The boys main shtick was their between song banter in which they would frequently trade insults and jibes. The relentless nature of it became a little tiring and puerile after a while, so it was a great surprise and delight when the insulting stealthily became a clever and hilarious part of the songs as well. The interesting thing I noticed was that they hadn’t exactly assigned themselves the classic duo roles of straight and funny man. Each was able to take on either task with ease and there was plenty of role reversal over the course of the performance.
Some short sketches and silly segments were inserted to break up the songs and banter. These brought some fun moments of surrealism. They added to the lunacy with plenty of self referential comments and by chipping at the fourth wall. This came across as slightly smart arse (as in “see what we just did? Aren’t we clever?”) but this fit in perfectly with their naughty little boy personas and antics. From previous reports they seem to be exploring similar topics and attitudes to their past shows but they definitely seem to be at the stage where they have whipped things into a lean and slick operation with enough room to keep both themselves and their audience on their toes.
Stacks On was a hilarious show that flew by. Their adoring crowd were in stitches throughout and a number of the songs were sure to be stuck in many a head this week.
For booking details visit the Comedy Festival website