Ian McKellan is on stage. Or at least his voice is, but not the man himself, that part's being played Dickie Beau.
Having interviewed the renowned actor about performing, Dickie Beau re-delivers what he says by lip-synching with pinpoint timing. He captures perfectly the variations in speed of delivery, every pause, sigh, chuckle and laugh.
If you saw Dickie Beau's previous show, Re-member Me, you'll be familiar with the skilled technique.
It is both gobsmackingly good and somewhat discombobulating.
Ian McKellan's isn't the only voice on stage in Showmanism, although his interview is the most used. Fiona Shaw 'joins' him among the thespian voices, and there are others from in and around the world of performance, including a voice coach, performance historian, impressionist and director.
Some are recordings from interviews with Dickie Beau, others are historic recordings.
They are a series of anecdotes and verbal essays that muse on performance, its nature and meaning. There’s serious history in there, such as talk about how sound was amplified in Greek theatres and how that had the effect of democratising voice.
There are also more philosophical thoughts and amusing recollections. The latter includes Ian McKellan talking about forgetting his lines on stage and impressionist Steve Nallon describing how he developed his impression of David Cameron.
It is the familiar voices which are a more immediate draw. The impact of the visual of Dickie Beau (curiously wearing only underpants for long periods) married with the sound that usually comes from a different, well-known face is startling, amusing and intriguing.
With the unfamiliar voices, the effect is diminished. It becomes a lip-synced essay, and the technique has a tendency to deflect from the actual words being said.
If you haven't read the program, then there is no context as to who the speaker is and, therefore, what angle they are approaching the performance from. Some are more immediately obvious than others.
Showmanism is a hard piece to categorise. There are stories in the anecdotes, segments that feel a little like lectures or tutorials, there's some mime and other elements, which are weird and surreal.
It is at times interesting and funny, but can also feel alienating and distracting. I'm giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
Showmanism, Hampstead Theatre
Created and performed by Dickie Beau
Directed by Jan-Willem Van den Bosch
Running time: 1 hour and 35 minutes without an interval
Booking until 12 July; for more information and to buy tickets, visit the Hampstead Theatre website.
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