Review by Steve Bennett

As the Muppets make a stylish movie comeback, and Randy again wows the Melbourne Comedy Festival in his double-act with Sammy J, it seems that furry equals funny in 2012.

Unfortunately, for all the effort that’s gone into Who Killed John Bearington III?, this grown-up puppet show doesn’t work beyond its novelty – a failing that’s entirely down to lacklustre writing.

This is your basic whodunit. When an evil ursine businessman is found dead in an insalubrious alleyway, suspicion falls on the five witnesses found on the scene. Detective Cole Feltz, the show’s only human, must figure out what happened, by interrogating each one by one.

The show has strong film noir influences, starting from the atmospheric film that opens proceedings. This was directed by Blake Willoughby, who also animates the most promising of the muppet characters, a half-monster with anger management issues, forever on the brink of a manic meltdown.

That’s where his talents end, though as he and three others also put together a plodding, simplistic script, that, despite the number of writers, has all the complexity of a game of Cluedo. The action – or lack of – is entirely restricted to the police interviews, which inevitably end with a line like: ‘I’d speak to her if I were you…’ making way for the next creation to take the stand.

As well as Harry we have the blue-haired Cyclops nun-with-a-past Sister Ruth, the sultry femme fatale gold digger Roxy, Beryl the soppy care bear and long-suffering janitor Harry.

Despite the diversity of characters, the scenes don’t vary much, wordily explaining the potential motives of each that employs the clichés of the genre, but doesn’t mock them. And, in a very unsatisfying twist, the resolution of the mystery could not be deduced from any of the information imparted over the hour.

While the story didn’t really work, jokes were thin on the ground too. There are about a dozen bear puns too many, and a few knowing nods to the artifice of the situation. But there’s no overarching ethos of where the jokes should even be coming from, whether it be parody, snappy dialogue, or deconstructed self-awareness – so no wonder they are so few and far between.

Dylan Cole makes for a nicely quick-talking investigating cop and puppeteers Willoughby, Jhess Knight, Petra Elliott and Joe Booten are all on their game, despite the limitations of the writing. Their professionalism deserves a much better showcase than this in which to shine.

Review date: 18 Apr 2012
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival