One of the lovely things about London's West End is the number of interesting little shows that crop up alongside the blockbusters and the productions with major stars in the lead roles. I saw a couple of fine examples last week. JUST JIM DALE at the Vaudeville theatre and MAN OF STEAL (note the spelling) which is at the Trafalgar Studios.
I hope Jim Dale finds an audience for his show however I fear the worst. Everyone I asked to join me reviewing basically said “who is Jim Dale?” and made their excuses. Judging by the large number of empty seats on industry night, when most of the audience don’t pay, my friends weren’t alone in their bewilderment or apathy.
It’s a very gentle evening but also an enjoyable one. Jim is most famous for British comedy films in the 1960s including the CARRY ON series in which he most notably played a manic young doctor lusting after Barbara Windsor and careering down corridors on top of medical trolleys.
In fact Jim touches on the fact that he did all his own stunts for the films and there is an impressive collection of clips of him falling downstairs, falling off camels and just generally falling.
His other main achievement is a rather exciting Broadway career in which he starred as Barnun in BARNUM, a role created especially for him and which required him not only to act, sing and dance but also to do all three whilst walking the tightrope. I saw him on Broadway a decade or so ago playing Peachum in Brecht’s THREEPENNY OPERA, acting co-stars like Alan Cumming and Cyndi Lauper off the stage.
However it has to be said that if you missed out on the Carry On films and if you weren't watching Broadway shows at the end of the last century Jim's anecdotes are unlikely to mean much to you. Never the less they’re delivered with great charm, warmth and wit. Jim still has immaculate comic timing. He doesn't exactly sing well but he can certainly put over a song and performs a number of music hall numbers and extracts from his hit shows with great panache.
He also breaks off occasionally to do dramatic monologues, notably one from an obscure Noel Coward play in which he very movingly plays a henpecked husband finally standing up to his tyrannical family.
On the night I attended there were a number of other 1960s celebrities present obviously loving the chance to reminisce about the good old days with Dale.
There was a picture of him and Barbara Windsor after a performance, on the front of the Daily Mail the other day, hopefully this will draw enough fans of a certain age to ensure Jim really enjoys his month at the Vaudeville Theatre.
JAMES FREEDMAN: MAN OF STEAL is a very unusual, smart and engaging hour or so of theatre which would make a perfect pre-dinner treat or even, odd considering the subject matter, the start of a great date night.
Freedman is an unprepossessing guy, something he claims to have worked hard at to preserve his anonymity in a crowd.
His one man show begins like a traditional magic act, some slight of hand, a dash of smugness but it develops into something much more interesting than that.
Part entertainment, part lecture, Freedman (who advises the police) outlines the many ways we are all vulnerable to pickpockets and identity theft demonstrating on members of the audience along the way.
It’s almost impossible to review in depth as we’re specifically asked at the end not to give anything away but I can say the performance culminates in an extraordinary demonstration of how quickly and effectively our identities can be stolen and exploited that drew gasps from the audience and I dare say prompted everyone there to rethink how they behave.
It’s both chilling and fascinating, with plenty of laughs and I thoroughly recommend it as one of the most engaging pieces of theatre the West End currently offers.
The new Broadway musical Something Rotten! looks set to make a West End visit. The hugely popular musical comedy that tells the tongue-in-cheek tale of two brothers who attempt to rival William Shakespeare in Elizabethan London by creating the first musical has been nominated for ten Tony Awards, and is winning to hearts and minds of audiences across the pond.