Jon Culshaw channels his inner Les Dawson on national tour
Award-winning comedian and character actor Jon Culshaw is often regarded as Britain’s best impressionist.
He's coming to the Corn Exchange at the end of the month in a homage to and celebration of a comedy legend.
In Les Dawson: Flying High, on Thursday, September 29 (8pm), Culshaw delivers a touching, funny and warm-hearted performance in a show that premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before setting off on a tour of the country.
Les Dawson: Flying High channels all the emotions such a rich life would procure, gifting the audience with anecdotes, incidents and insights into Les’ journey as he travels on Concorde at twice the speed of sound, 68,000 feet above the Earth, in this new play from BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning writer Tim Whitnall and director Bob Golding.
Intending to go beyond and above a basic recount of Dawson’s life, the piece explores contemporary themes such as mortality, identity, love, kindness, spiritual beliefs or even ambition, that paced Les’ life.
Whitnall analyses concepts we have all faced or inevitably will, as he narrates the happy moments, trials, and tribulations. He presents a more philosophical version of the popular late comedian, as he dives into his literary talent and the origin of such a successful life.
Growing up, Les, the self-declared ‘slum kid’, yearned to be recognised for his writing prowess and to transform his passion for literature into a full-time profession. Simultaneously, he discovered his ability to make people laugh and carried this ambition into adulthood, reflected in his acclaimed memoirs ‘No Tears for the Clown’. Initially considered a tedious task by Les, this autobiography acted as an abundant pool of information for Whitnall, offering glimpses and lessons to be extracted out of Dawson’s spectacular flight through life.
Presented by So Comedy & Broken Robot Productions
