It was hot in the Speakeasy at Gluttony. The kind of hot that makes you wish for a cold beer and some warm companionship. I’d been sent by my editor to check out a Private Investigator that had been making some waves among the showbiz set. I didn’t know that I was about to see something that would make me see stars... four stars.
This is a great show from an accomplished and funny performer.
Unlike the Naked Magicians or Puppetry of the Penis, there’s no actual dick in this show other than Dirk Darrow, Private Investigator. He’s got a case and he’s going to use all his mental abilities to crack it. This show has magic, mentalism and unending banter as Darrow’s alter-ego Tim Motley is an assured and cheeky presence on stage. Motley plays the crowd well, liberally dropping local references into his routine that gets the audience on side immediately. The mentalism is slick and well-presented with plenty of audience participation.
With so many similar acts, Motley has used the character of Dirk Darrow to add something unique to his performance. There’s some great sight gags and I wish he was in a theatre space rather than a sweltering hot tent as there are some skits that would definitely benefit from a proper blackout but Motley is more than capable of rolling with the situation and using the limitations of the space as an opportunity to throw out more jokes.
This is a great show from an accomplished and funny performer. It’s telling that as the show goes on it becomes harder for Motley to find volunteers whom he has never met. It seems that almost everyone is a returning fan. I definitely became a fan too. Now, to work on my Bogart impression.
