A one-man show is a terrifying prospect for any actor. You alone have to fill the space with interesting personalities and your actions, all of which are being scrutinised by every eye in the audience. Luckily this is a task that Jake Addley lives up to brilliantly in One Fine Day.The plot follows an engineer, Eddie, who has an unlucky run-in with social services which causes him to be estranged from his family. The heartbroken Scouser devises a hair-brained scheme to kidnap his own two kids from school to take them out for a wonderful, and at the same time tragic, day at the seaside.Addley has the audience in the palm of his hand for the entire show with his energetic and engaging performance. He has a particular eye for comedy and tells anecdotes with great physicality and timing, filling the tiny studio space with endearing Eddie’s personality. There is a superb story about a goldfish that I won’t spoil but had me in stitches. This earnest comedy keeps us totally on Eddie’s side even when social services get involved. Every new character that Addley introduces has its own brilliant personality. Even some problems with the Liverpudlian accent couldn’t break us away from his charm.The energy that Addley brings to the performance is unfortunately a double-edged sword. At times I would have appreciated more stillness to add variety to the pace. Though Addley is an effective comic actor, the tragedy of the play is nowhere near as affecting as the anecdotes that Eddie performs for us. This is not to say that the piece is not affecting. Addley brings us full circle on a brilliant and heart-warming journey, one that never loses our attention.
