Tom and Josh Burton in "Tinseltown"
Presented by The Tuggeranong Arts Centre - 15th May, 2026
Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.
Real life brothers, Tom and Josh Burton emerged from the
Melbourne comedy scene. They quickly attracted attention with their unique
brand of sketch comedy, which saw them nominated for best comedy at the
Melbourne Fringe Festival.
But it was the success of their brilliantly written and performed
shows at the 2021 Edinburgh Festival Fringe that really made audiences sit up
and take notice.
For their first appearance at The Tuggeranong Arts Centre, they
performed their latest show, Tinseltown, a ferociously funny,
high-energy romp through the glitz, grit and absurdity of the Hollywood you
thought you knew.
With the aid of little
more than two small boxes for props, and a couple of willing volunteers drafted
from the audience, the brothers somehow managed to capture the glamorous spirit
of Hollywood’s golden era with their series of quick-fire sketches featuring a
gaggle of absurd, instantly recognisable characters in a convincing
demonstrations of their mastery of the art of sketch comedy.
Particularly memorable among those characters was the ambitious
young director trying to convince the 89-year-old ingénue to star in his
forthcoming film. She keeps harking back to her heyday. Her only starring film was “King Kong”. Their
recreation of the entire “King Kong” film is a miracle of ingenuity and
hilariously funny.
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| Tom and Josh Burton in "Tinseltown" |
But then there’s the guy in the neon-green suit hustling tourists for photos on Hollywood Boulevard, the award acceptance speeches, the potted movie parodies and of course, even the Colombia Pictures logo.
On the surface it feels chaotic, wild characters, quick fire
banter, and moments when you think they’re making it up on the spot, but
beneath the playful veneer lies razor-sharp timing, a meticulously crafted
structure and a knack of knowing exactly when to push the joke and when to pull
back.
The show whisks the audience from red carpet glamour to
behind-the-scenes meltdowns, skewering celebrity culture with affectionate
satire rather than mean-spirited jabs. Their characters feel both hilariously
exaggerated and oddly familiar, like you’ve met them at a party you wish you’d
left earlier.
What makes Tinseltown shine is the brothers’ ability
to make the audience feel like co-conspirators in the madness. This slick, smart,
joyfully unhinged love letter to showbiz is as much about the joy of
performance as it is about lampooning Hollywood excess.
Photos supplied.
This review first posted in CITY NEWS on 16th May 2026.
