Only The Lonely is a brand-new one man show exploring the inner life of a tribute singer.
Having suffered both divorce and redundancy, Dave, a rather sad, middle-aged man (played by award-winning actor Pip Utton), reinvents himself as a Roy Orbison tribute act.
Written by Utton, who has had previous success with portrayals of Hitler in Adolf and Tony Hancock in Hancock's Last Half Hour, Only The Lonely asks questions about the nature of celebrity and our relationship to it.
In contrast to Utton's reputation for electrifying theatre, his performance was somewhat lacklustre and the entire show came across as laboured and under-rehearsed.
What may have been first-night nerves meant a potentially interesting piece drifted by without much punch. Utton sings Orbison's songs sweetly enough but with none of his restrained, melancholic other-worldliness.
What does shine through is the pathos and sadness of a flawed individual who makes his name on the back of someone else.
Given a few more shows and some tweaking, Only The Lonely could burst into life.
For tickets, call 01273 647100.
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