In Which There Is Much Laughter & Music

A couple of months back,  Neil Gaiman was tweeting about how Lenny Henry had recently joined twitter, and that he had a tour on, called Cradle to Rave.

I was in two minds as to whether to book, as although I like Lenny Henry, the show was quite expensive, and the closest show to me was Bristol, and on a Sunday night  - both of which were off-putting. However, I did go ahead and book, and I'm very glad I did!

Last time I saw Lenny was 2 years ago, when he was playing the title role in  Othello, and was very impressive. This show is very different, and is a one man show, taking an autobiographical look back at his life (so far) and at the music which has shaped it and been important to him.

The show is very funny, a lot of the time, but it isn't a full-on comedy show - Lenny clearly has a passion for music, and is not above laughing at his younger self, but he also talks about his relationship with his father (constantly telling the children to keep the noise down) and his marriage (the incompatability of musical tastes).  He's very open talking about his longing to be a 'real' musician, and the realisation that he isn't going to be a rock star.

And in between the more serious reminiscence there's a lot of comedy, and a fair bit of music.  I think the show would be even better in a smaller theatre - there wasn't much in the way of audience participation, and wha there was was rather lost in the size of the Hippodrome.

But over all, it was a great night out, and I'm glad I went!