Simon David review: Full throttle Dead Dad Show does deserve awards
Simon David is a quadruple threat: he can sing, he can act, he can rollerskate and he's wearing a skirt. He's a boy and he's wearing a skirt. He's from the North and he's wearing a skirt. One Olivier Award please!
In Dead Dad Show, Simon has created something incomparably intricate and labyrinthine, the impact of which unfolds so subtly over the next hour, you don’t really notice it happening. “Subtle” isn’t necessarily a word anyone who has seen Simon perform before would use to describe him, but there we go. It’s even more special because of how unexpected it is.
When Simon's dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he decided to write and perform a one man show about his own mortality, legacy and creativity. Realising that having a dead parent is the quickest route to an award, Simon embarks on a campaign to win an Olivier by any means necessary.
He moves between genres at breakneck speed, zoning in on more clichéd cultural touch points than you can keep up with, from the opening musical number to the TikTok send-up to the edgelord comedian trying to prove he's daring by just shouting the word "transgender" over and over and over until he’s red in the face. Each one is sharp and surprising. His director Chris doesn't agree, trying to keep him on track and be real about his dad’s death, but mostly proving an unwilling sounding board for Simon's increasingly unhinged ideas.
It all works because Simon knows when to power ahead full throttle and when to pull back. The moments of pathos are earned ten times over by his comic attention to detail and complete fearlessness on stage. The obnoxiousness of his character and the determination to have an impact seems to come from a very real desire to make his work mean something in the wake of his father’s death.
Dead Dad Show is complex, it's zeitgeisty, it's gimmicky completely on purpose. There's nothing accidental. There's a moment when you realise just how much his dad's play has influenced this one; it's a breath catch in your throat kind of moment.
What emerges is an incredibly moving tribute to his father. One full of depth and genuine emotion. One that actually does deserve an award.
Simon David: Dead Dad Show is at Underbelly Bristo Square (Buttercup), 8:15pm until August 27th. Tickets here.
