Review: GARY GULMAN: GRANDILOQUENT, Soho Theatre

“Just as sure as Aslan is Jesus, I am the lonely tree”

Do you remember the book that made you fall in love with reading? Maybe it was a book you read in grade school that has stuck with you for your whole life, or even a book that a friend recommended. For Gay Gulman, that book is The Monster At The End of This Book, in which Grover from Sesame Street begs the reader to stop reading the book, as, one might guess, there is a monster at the end that Grover is afraid of. For Gulman, the opening line Grover has on the copyright page, “This is a very dull page,” rivals that of Dickens with “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” and Moby Dick’s “Call me Ishmael.”

As one might be able to tell from the title - Gary Gulman: Grandiloquent - Gulman is a bit of a comedic wordsmith, taking pride in his usage of words that might have some scrambling to Google to understand. This is the way Gulman has been since he was a child, describing himself as “precocious” with pride, growing up with his mum in Peabody, Massachusetts, in the 1970s. To give audiences the idea of what his childhood was like, Gulman describes a Tupperware party that his mother hosted, with Gulman happily winning over the middle-aged women in his home and eagerly chatting with his next-door neighbour, who is not only his Best Friend’s mum but also his former first-grade teacher. 

It’s at this moment that things begin to take a turn, with the woman revealing to Gulman that his father, whom he only sees on the weekends, has insisted that his son repeat the first grade, as he believes that he is not mature enough for his age - a statement which gets laughs of shock from the audience. Unfortunately, this is the moment that changes Gulman’s life, and he acknowledges that he would never be happy about going to school again, a heartbreaking confession for someone who is so clearly passionate about knowledge and learning. 

In his second go around at the first grade, Gulman is assigned a new teacher, one he only refers to as Ayn Rand, which gives you a bit of an idea of just how horrible she was. Gulman claims that he had all of the symptoms of a major depressive disorder at the young age of seven, a sobering but completely understandable belief once one hears about how horrible the school year was for him. These moments shape how Gulman views himself, with the adult him insisting on having everything he says scripted in advance, fearing being unprepared for conversations with strangers. This does lead to a pretty hilarious moment in which Gulman must improvise when two different phones go off during the show, and he laments the fact that his off-the-cuff quips get more applause than anything he has actually written for the show!

Another major focus of the show is Gulman’s writing, from his first works as a child to the books he has published, including Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ‘80s. The show shines when Gulman is discussing his passion for the written word, particularly when reflecting on what he believes to be his best work - The Lonely Tree - that he wrote for the holidays as a school assignment after his latest writing, Who’s The Turkey Now?, didn’t receive the praise he believes it deserved. 

As it was originally a one-act show off-Broadway in New York, Grandiloquent, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, is a bit longer than the average comedy show at Soho Theatre, with a runtime of eighty minutes instead of the usual sixty. This, however, is barely noticeable, as Gulman moves at a fast pace and doesn’t let a single second go to waste, breezing through tales of his childhood. A highlight is a rant he does about the history of a band, which somehow manages to be tied to Wicked the Musical and basketball, making the audience feel just as trapped as his wife did when they were in the car together during this particular moment. 

Gary Gulman: Grandiloquent is a delightfully witty and insightful look into the life of Gulman, who is able to open up about a traumatic time in his life and make it funny, whilst still acknowledging the damage it caused him. Gulman is an incredibly talented comedian who is able to draw audiences into his tales of childhood with ease, bringing them on an emotional yet hilarious journey. 

Gary Gulman: Grandiloquent ran from 6-11 October at Soho Theatre Dean Street.