The name of the tour makes this sound like some kind of Roald Dahl tale. And although there is that signature Dahl dark side to tonight’s comedy, this is no place for children. Rhod Gilbert, notoriously blunt, sweary and kind of grumpy has promised us that tonight will be take us to some dark places. He’s not wrong.
Tonight’s show is all about Rhod’s 3 year battle with neck and head cancer and starts with a bit of a Q&A with audience members about shared experiences with cancer. Not necessarily amusing you’d think, but there are definitely lots of laughs to be had. Like Rhod himself said; when life throws you lemons you make lemonade, but when it throws you a grapefruit sized tumour you haven’t got a clue what to do, so maybe laughter is the best medicine.
Early on we’re treated to an anecdote about Rhod’s innovative, yet primitive way of relieving treatment induced constipation and although it’s pretty horrific stuff, the room is laughing along uproariously. I won’t let you in on the secret, but suffice to say, it provides one of the first of many laughs where I’m left questioning whether I should really laugh. But that’s the point of the show, I guess.
Gilbert is a funny man. And he proves that beyond question tonight by making the entire theatre laugh about possibly the most intimate and horrible of subjects. There’s jokes about the results of the Googling he did when he first got his diagnosis and the thoughts he had when it told him that his life expectancy was about 6 weeks.
There are gags about his driver, John and some of tactless reactions to Rhod’s experiences. And later on there’s a brilliant tale of John’s interpretation of a conversation with Rhod leading to him heading for Aberdeen rather than the essential chemo that he needed at the time. It’s all equal parts gut-wrenching, puzzling and hilariously funny.
Gilbert even finds time in the show to come up with some awards for people who he’d interacted with during his cancer battle. While some are actually quite heartwarming, there are others where you wonder what goes through people’s heads when they’re trying to give a bit of support and sympathy. It all adds up to a brilliantly different and dark show with plenty of laughs.
We end the night with a video of footage taken across the time of Gilbert’s treatment. It’s wonderful, uplifting stuff and I’m sure I couldn’t have been the only one that was choking back tears while simultaneously laughing along. As the screen shows Gilbert ringing the infamous bell to say he’d beaten his cancer, there’s a well deserved standing ovation. It’s been a brilliant night and a fantastic show.
Welcome back, Rhod!
WORDS BY GRAHAM CROSBY
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