Mel Buttle: I Can't Believe It's Not Buttle (MICF)

In terms of surnames which lend themselves to funny show titles, a comedian could do worse than Buttle. In her latest hour, Mel Buttle proves again to be a solid observational comic with a keen eye for the absurd minutiae of life in contemporary Australia. Her default onstage persona is like somebody's kooky bogan mother, but as a series of mid-show impressions proves, Buttle has a gift for capturing different voices with varying levels of bogan-ness. In fact, she is possibly a better character actor than joke writer.

Like many comedians, Buttle seems to be working through a lot of childhood stuff onstage. In this show, there's often a crowd of voices interjecting and commenting on every statement she makes. It can be alarming, then, to realise all this is coming from one woman standing there in a fruity dress and a cardigan. Unfortunately, the entire hour has a similarly manic tone, which can start to feel exhausting. Buttle can also be self-deprecating in the extreme, sometimes to the extent that it can be slightly uncomfortable to watch.

The flip side of Buttle's feeling like an outsider is that she's got a deep well of empathy for the downtrodden, even if that empathy frequently manifests as mocking. Her stories are populated by people who most of us pay little attention to. Lonely retirees who call into local radio stations just to have someone to talk to. Men in parks talking ad nauseam to anyone who'll listen about how "clever" their border collies are. Buttle is better than most at capturing this aspect of Australia, and bloody good on her.

Mel Buttle presents I Can't Believe It's Not Buttle till 23 Apr at Melbourne Town Hall, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.