Norman Lovett's Slide Show
The cynical quips that suited his Red Dwarf role so well seem a bit pathetic without the galactic context.
| 04 Aug 2007
One of the less pleasant parts of the festival experience is the inevitable gamble you take when blindly choosing from the dozen or so Serious Political Issue: THE MUSICAL tickets. If you're in search of something which, for once, is exactly what it claims to be, you really cannot be blamed for ending up at the honestly titled Norman Lovett's Slide Show.
As advertised, this hour long routine features Lovett, best known for his role as Holly the supercomputer on the classic sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, narrating what essentially amounts to a slide journal of his daily routines. While the audience was glad to hear his first few trademark deadpan lamentations, the unexceptional photos and subject matter quickly dampen the mood. The cynical quips that suited his role on Red Dwarf so well seem a bit pathetic when delivered without the absurd, grandiose galactic context. While many of the photos are inherently humourous, the majority of the monologue consists of either a tedious explanation of why the photo is funny or a rant about a particularly uncontroversial problem represented therein, which is usually more bitter than it is hilarious.
That's not to say that the show wasn't enjoyable. The laughs, while never rapturous, were steady. There was a certain quaint intimacy to the presentation, and it provides not only a pleasant change of pace, but a window into the life of a man who is surprisingly like the character that he is most famous for portraying.
As advertised, this hour long routine features Lovett, best known for his role as Holly the supercomputer on the classic sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, narrating what essentially amounts to a slide journal of his daily routines. While the audience was glad to hear his first few trademark deadpan lamentations, the unexceptional photos and subject matter quickly dampen the mood. The cynical quips that suited his role on Red Dwarf so well seem a bit pathetic when delivered without the absurd, grandiose galactic context. While many of the photos are inherently humourous, the majority of the monologue consists of either a tedious explanation of why the photo is funny or a rant about a particularly uncontroversial problem represented therein, which is usually more bitter than it is hilarious.
That's not to say that the show wasn't enjoyable. The laughs, while never rapturous, were steady. There was a certain quaint intimacy to the presentation, and it provides not only a pleasant change of pace, but a window into the life of a man who is surprisingly like the character that he is most famous for portraying.