Alan Davies Little Victories

Hamer hall, Arts Centre Melbourne

Friday 14th 

Alan Davies was relaxed and in fine form at Hamer Hall last night.   Sharp observations and reflections on current day to day life as a father of young children were mixed with reminiscences of his own childhood.  His relationship with his detailed-minded father (who raised three children after the death of his wife to leukaemia) was grand fodder for comic material.  The present day picture of his father now with early onset Alzheimers created the generational book ends in the father-son relationship and we were given insights to all personalities in-between,  reminiscent of  "My Family and Other Animals"  (look it up, kids).

Davies maturity in comedy coupled with his purpose in telling a tale had me smiling then giggling.  I laughed out loud and at times then wiped back the tears, (not having the public English schoolboy talent of sucking them back into my skull) as the young Alan contrives to make his father eat black currant jam or earn his dads approval on the tennis court.

Behind the gently hilarious presentation, stories were often painful, bleak, uncomfortable. My heart squeezed as I snickered and laughed my way through.  Observations told in the first half provided reference for the second, as the warmth of Davies' comedy fireside grew. Such topics as Alzheimer's, parenting, adolescent masturbation, the urge to head butt a toddler, schoolboy vulnerability, leaving the dishwasher open and vengeance on parents gave us insight to Davies' life and a very personal emotional journey. By the end we were all well settled in for him to just keep going and going. Pass the cheese, someone…

Check it out if you're in Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Adelaide, Sydney, Darwin, Brisbane.