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Review: DEAD DAD SHOW, VAULT Festival

Review: DEAD DAD SHOW, VAULT Festival

Underneath all the fuss and early-draft vibe, Simon David's piece is ultimately a tender and heartfelt play about family and art.

Review: DEAD DAD SHOW, VAULT Festival Some shows are great even when everything goes wrong. Some shows shine through missed cues, nerves, line prompts, and failing tech. Some shows are simply excellent trainwrecks. Simon David's Dead Dad Show is one of those. With a personality the size of a football stadium and the effortlessness of a consummate entertainer, he saves his own piece. It could have all gone so very wrong, but it didn't.

After a sudden cancer diagnosis, his dad wrote a one-man act about it. He passed away shortly after in 2018, so now Simon is writing his own to remember him and deal with the loss. It's a mish-mash of genres, mocking popular theatre tropes and subverting genres. In sequence, he spoofs Everybody's Talking About Jamie and The Normal Heart before going into an interpretative dance and even TikTok. It's honestly fantastic.

Evans is unafraid of making fun of himself as well as the industry's traditional forms, but - underneath all the fuss and early-draft vibe - Dead Dad Show is ultimately a tender and heartfelt play about family and art. A reminder to cherish those we love. It will appeal to those who have dark humour as their coping mechanism and laugh about dead dad jokes.

The footage of his late father introduces a profound man with a sharp wit and lovely demeanour. While we can't officially give more than three for obvious reasons, this is a five-star show at heart. We can't wait to see its final form.



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Critically-acclaimed comedian Rachel Fairburn is set to embark on her biggest UK tour to date with brand-new show 'ShowGirl' from 24th September.

Flawboreds ITS A MOTHERF**KING PLEASURE Transfers To Londons West End Photo
Flawbored arrive at Soho Theatre this spring following a short critically acclaimed sell-out VAULT Festival 2023 run of their brilliant, self-aware, intersectional satire It's a Motherf**king Pleasure. 

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Platforming the untold experiences of marginalised voices, Gate Theatre will host the launch of Scooters, Shooters and Shottas: a Curious tale, a new audio drama that highlights the lives of young black queer communities. 

THE RETREAT Comes to the Finborough Theatre Photo
In a production commissioned by the Finborough Theatre, a European premiere from one of Canada's most acclaimed contemporary dramatists, Jason Sherman - The Retreat opens at the Finborough Theatre for a three week limited season on Tuesday, 25 April 2023.


From This Author - Cindy Marcolina

Italian export. Member of the Critics' Circle (Drama). Also a script reader and huge supporter of new work. Twitter: @Cindy_Marcolina

... (read more about this author)

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