When Lawrence Leung was growing up in 1980s Australia, the futurology TV show Beyond 2000 foretold a world of robot servants, replaceable body parts – and jetpacks. Now years beyond 2000, the rocket-belt remains conspicuous by its absence – until Leung embarks on his own quest to acquire and fly one, as recounted in his new standup show. It's from the school of comedy that prizes childlike enthusiasm over quality jokes, and Leung's puppyishness is occasionally wearing. But the pay-off – video footage of the jet-propelled climax to his mission – is hilarious.
At such moments, Leung's quest is vindicated as a premise for a comedy show. Less credible is his claim to be exploring "impossible feats and the lengths we go to achieve them", or to link these exploits to his dad's immigration to Australia. It's hard to ascribe emotional significance to Leung Jr's jetpack dream, not least because his efforts to get in with existing "rocketmen" – as related here by PowerPoint and recorded phone calls – are made for comic effect. His dad, meanwhile, is reduced to a comedy Chinese accent.
If Leung's show falls foul of Icarus-like over-reaching, its cruising altitude affords a fine view of an unexpected subculture. When Leung sticks to his subject, we're introduced to several entertaining eccentrics, such as amateur jet engineer Ky Michaelson and Christian fundamentalist rocketman Dan Schlund. The show takes on a Louis Theroux dimension, as Leung stands back and smiles at a cast of characters who scarcely need comic embellishment. Neither does his finale, a home-video masterpiece that brings Leung's flight of fancy to a spectacular, if inglorious conclusion.
