Dead Dad Show – 53two

I read an article by the comedian Cariad Lloyd about the death of her father. In particular, she wanted to give advice to people on how to approach someone dealing with grief.

Her favourite reaction, she said, came from the comic actor Ken Campbell who asked if her dad was going to come and see the show they were performing and she explained he had died and he replied, “Huh, yeah, they have a habit of doing that, dads.” Humour, as opposed to sentimentality or the stock phrase, was, as always, the best policy.

Which is the attitude of this rip-roaring, full-on, no-holds barred of a show which is not averse to the odd profanity, contains nudity, cross-dressing but also has a cool satirical edge. It is brash, cocksure you might say, cheeky, confident and it certainly has plenty of swagger. One thing it is not, is a sentimental take on death. It was camp, it was clever and, most importantly of all, it was very funny.

Simon David is definitely a performer to keep an eye on in the future. He has a deep creative intelligence, and it is very hard to balance the silliness, the over-the-top bawdiness with the very human story of losing his dad to cancer but he pulls it off. He says his dad was a wordsmith, but Simon also knows how to use language and his timing is spot-on.

Interspersed into the show is a video of his dad performing a show he did not long before he died. His dad was not a performer but, to Simon’s surprise, he was quite good. We see his dad talking about the fact that he knows he is going to die, as we all are. This was very moving, and his dad points out to Simon that we need to make sure we do something with the life we have.

As I say, it is a very funny show and it starts off with, I presume, a spoof of the musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, as he plays a 16-year-old boy who is wearing a skirt. As he is performing this show he is interrupted by a phone call from his director who tells him to stop being silly, to keep it truthful and talk about the death of his dad.

There is a satirical take on comedians who perform Netflix specials and attack the transgender community, I can’t imagine who he had in mind, as well as an excellent parody of an arts council funded worthy play that was skilfully written and adroitly performed.

Simon is a compelling performer and whilst the character he portrays is a self-obsessed egotist, who only wants to win awards, there is a vulnerability there, a gentleness that gives him an attractive depth. The audience certainly warmed to him immediately and they thoroughly enjoyed the show.

The show will be at the Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle on July 27thand he will be at the Edinburgh Festival from August 20 to 25. For tickets, go to – https://simongayvid.com/tour/.

Reviewer: Adam Williams

Reviewed: 11th July 2024

North West End UK Rating: