Danny Buckler is incurably absorbed in the world of fantasy. The be-suited Buckler kicks the show off by painting exactly how in his mind’s eye it would begin. A fantastical universe where anything is possible; all the glitz and glamour money could afford. This provided comic contrast to the small cave-like venue of Cowgatehead where we were situated.
With less gusto and more thought, this show could be a touching and original account of something we can all relate to; the struggle to bridge that gap between where we are and where we want to be.
The show explores the constant tension in Danny’s life between reality and his fantasies. We learn about Buckley’s emotional investment in ‘fantasy Dads’; who helped to fill the hole his own father had left. We hear about his journey into the world of spirituality; enthusiastically absorbing all that Buddhism had to offer. We learn about how he flirted with fantasy worlds encapsulated in drugs. Buckley includes a splash of magic, illustrating his commitment to theatricality.
Unfortunately Danny’s performance fell short of his intended mark. Delivering most of the show at a loud frenetic monotone Danny was less engaging and more affronting. Buckler leapt from topic to topic to topic. The poorly executed segues mid sentence were confusing and made his stories difficult to follow. His impersonations were dated and alienated a portion of the audience under a specific age. His comments about women did little to build the characters he talked about and more to reflect negatively on him; making him rather difficult to like. Buckley also made the classic mistake of turning on his audience when he felt he wasn’t receiving the laughs his material deserved. This tactic has yet been proven to improve a situation.
Buckler worked hard in this show; and packed a tremendous amount of himself into the hour. With less gusto and more thought, this show could be a touching and original account of something we can all relate to; the struggle to bridge that gap between where we are and where we want to be.
