Review: THE MAN IN THE SHED at Bridge House Theatre 10 - 14 May 2022

‘Funny, clever, maybe even a touch of genius’ ★★★★1/2

The man in the Shed is a laugh a minute show with a payoff towards the end.   The man, in the privacy of his shed, is recording his thoughts for a video audience. It’s all about facts, the things that he knows. Feelings … well they’re for women and he’s just not comfortable with them.  Much of the comedy comes from his poor grasp of the facts and his constant malapropisms and misnomers especially in his discussion of his favourite bands (Pink Floyd being number one). 

Just when it begins to feel a little uncomfortable because the audience is laughing at him rather than with him, the true poignancy of his dilemma starts to emerge.  It is masculine toxicity from the inside where we can begin to understand him and empathise with his confusions especially given that the world has moved on around him and he doesn’t have the tools to cope with it.

Tim Connery and Alex Donald have written an hilarious script whilst Alex Dee brings the character alive with a very sympathetic portrayal. His body language and the physicality keep the play visually alert thanks to able direction from Luke Adamson. 

The shed itself is nicely kitted out with just the sort of thing we might expect including oddities such as a very old music centre (still got one here in my house) with record, CD and cassette player. This was well used within the story and without giving it away, is an excellent symbol for the man’s life.

Funny, clever, maybe even a touch of genius. Could be the surprise hit show of the year.

THE MAN IN THE SHED

Bridge House Theatre

10 - 14 May 2022 7.30pm

https://thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/the-man-in-the-shed/

Cast

ALEX DEE

Director

LUKE ADAMSON

Writer

TIM CONNERY & ALEX DONALD

Design

JLA PRODUCTIONS