A failed hybrid of theatre and stand-up comedy, ‘Status Update’ is a one-man monologue showing a man trying to find humour in a lonely existence after divorce. Nelson aims to steer between tragedy and farce, but fails to settle comfortably into either. The monologue is interspersed with long and tiresome home-videos in which he recounts the sour details of his marriage. There are moments of muted inventiveness, but Nelson’s stand-up is too staged to strike the intimate tone he aims for. The unexplained use of pre-recorded video adds nothing to the performance. It is a show that, in its close attention to David Lee Nelson himself, would benefit from an affable quirkiness that he entirely lacks.
Laughing Horse at The Beehive Inn, 4 – 28 Aug (not 8, 15, 16, 22), 3.45pm (4.40pm), free, fpp254.
tw rating 2/5
[ij]
Sections: by Ivan Juritz - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 2/5 | Tags: Laughing Horse Free Festival
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