Dave Allen - or in this instance I should perhaps say Kieran Cunningham - is alive and well and..... actually, no, not quite..
We entered the dark, black, dimly lit auditorium to the sound of church organ music. It was very funereal. The only hint that this wasn't a church commital service, the large sign on one side of the stage proclaiming "The Dave Allen Show", whilst the other side was set with Allen's trademark stool, table, ashtray and glass of whiskey. A voiceover announces to an as yet still unseen Dave Allen that The Angel Gabriel will see him now, and a sad, old, and tired Allen walks on stage.
If you have ever seen the 'real' Dave Allen - and most of us of a certain generation have.. at least on TV; you will know his vocal intonation, his way of repeating certain words or phrases for maximum effect, his speech patterns, his stance, his gait, his little habits such as touching his nose and playing with his cuffs. Incredibly Cunningham had all of these down to an absolute Tee! He even managed to sound not dissimilar to Allen too. An extremely clever and studied portrayal in every way.
The show was part comedy gig, and part history lesson. Cunningham took us through Allen's life with great sensitivity and realism, whilst still managing to tell several of Allen's jokes along the way too. It was a most sympathetic, enlightening, and enjoyable experience for all fans of comedy, but especially for those, like myself, who remember the real Dave Allen with affection. I even was lucky enough to see him perform live at Manchester's Palace Theatre many years' ago, and I remember that gig very well still to this day.
There are a couple of points I think I should make however. The first is that this performance lasted only 50 minutes (maybe not even that!), and yet we had an interval after the first half hour. For a show that lasts only 50 minutes, perform it straight through please. Which brings me to my next point... it actually wasn't long enough for me. There is certainly room for development in this play; I would love to see more delving into Allen's family, upbringing, marriage, and of course his work - and more jokes too! The play managed to touch the surface only and whet our appetites for more.
The script was written by Cunningham, and he even directed the piece himself too, which I think is where the next problem lies. On one side of the stage there was a microphone at which he stood sometimes to tell jokes or continue the narrative, however, this was switched on, and so we got a very loud (too loud) Allen at these points and when he was at the stool and table, his voice was normal. This was strange and didn't really work. I mentioned also that when he walked on stage, it was as the tired, world-weary, old (and dead) Dave Allen. However, once he regained his missing appendage and started to narrate his story, the pace should have picked up somewhat, but this evening it didn't sadly; it was all at the same cloyed speed.
However, Cunningham is an experienced and seasoned actor, and his command of the stage and audience was never in doubt, and not for even one second did we ever believe him to be anyone or anything other than Dave Allen either... it was a consummate and all-encompassing characterisation; and I want to see more of it!
However, Cunningham is an experienced and seasoned actor, and his command of the stage and audience was never in doubt, and not for even one second did we ever believe him to be anyone or anything other than Dave Allen either... it was a consummate and all-encompassing characterisation; and I want to see more of it!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 14/3/22
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