One Man Musical by Flo & Joan at Pleasance Dome – Queen Dome until 25 August 2024.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I trust it won’t be a spoiler to say that the one man is Andrew Lloyd Webber, portrayed in a stupendous performance by George Fouracres, with band, Flo & Joan (aka sisters Rosie and Nicola Dempsey), on keyboards and drums at the back attempting to keep him in check.
It’s the story of ALW’s career up to now presented as a slightly begrudging justification as to why he’s been reduced to playing the Fringe.
Flo & Joan, who are also performing at the Assembly George Square Studios until 25 August in the The Joan & Flo Show are the composers of this piece. They have researched ALW’s life throughly, but, shall we say, taken liberties.
It’s a hoot, a helter skelter of a show. The script is slick, hilarious.
It starts with the rousing ‘It’s all about me’.
You might think that ALW is too easy a target for fun but Flo & Joan aren’t that crude and engender moments of real sympathy for him (yes, it’s true! I felt truly sorry for him). That said, these are quickly wrenched away by a punchline when you least expect it.
Nothing lets up. No comedic stone unturned. The lead-up to the introduction of Tim Rice as a bag of… no, I won’t spoil it… is an outrageously shaggy dog story.
And there’s plenty of audience interaction. Particularly on the song ‘P.U.S.S.Y’.
Basically, see it. It’s a hoot. It could very easily be extended to 90 minutes.
However, if you have no idea who Andrew Lloyd Webber is… or don’t care…
James Bryce
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