For an hour or so, every day until 27th August Laura Davis owns the little room in Monkey Barrel 2. Donning a hat and taking to the tiny stage, Davis fills the space with their presence. Not even a man near the front suddenly jerking out of his chair having realised, after I presume a five-minute internal struggle, that he was in the wrong room and Laura Davis is not Stu Goldsmith, can throw Davis off their stride. In fact the little distraction is mined for laughs while the man is graciously ejected.
In fact, Davis is possibly at their best when spontaneously riffing. The show smacks of a rather one-sided conversation that you don’t care to interrupt. Something Davis reveals they might be more familiar with than they’d realised having recently received a diagnosis. Born from a desire to create a show to honour a recently deceased friend, it’s no wonder this show seems so conversational.
Seemingly never less than sure of themselves whether discussing Santa (although a quick Google would tell you the popular theory about Santa’s outfit is not true), the futility or life, or font size, Davis is a delightful performer able to weave silliness into a tragedy with ease.
★★★★
Laura Davis: Well Don’t Just Stand There Dancing is at Monkey Barrel 2 until 27th August. For tickets click here!
