Dave Bushell’s first solo show is an absolute revelation. Tight scripting, great acting and extremely clever humour combined to make an absolute dynamite show.
After a brief warmup and introduction by assistant ‘Steve’, the audience is introduced to Dave as American self-help guru Dr. Alex McFarlane. Here to teaching us about our fears and his greatness, we’re taken on a ride through the egotistical and somewhat damaged mind of this pop psychologist.
The self-help guru is a character that’s been done many times before, and for the most part badly, but Dave has created something special here. This is a testament not just to Dave’s obvious dedication, but also to director Adrian Calear, who also worked with Dave during last year’s “I Heart Racism” (with long term collaborator Tommy Dassalo). Everything about this show is tight – after only three shows, you could be convinced that he’s been working on this character for years. You can’t help but be convinced that Dave could take any character and make it his own.
Dave has also long been known for his strong political comedy, and that tone is not lost here. Using Dr. McFarlane’s status as a Republican posterboy, Dave casually drops some barbed political comments into the show. This is all mixed in seamlessly with topics from sex to health to the “best” way to get respect from your children.
This is an amazingly accomplished show that marks Dave’s coming of age as a comedian. This is not to be missed.