Daniel Kitson: Something Other Than Everything

I went along to the Roundhouse on Thursday to see Daniel Kitson's latest show. Kitson has been the subject of criticism from one Guardian journalist this week over using the term "Paki shop" onstage. I disagree with some of the assertions made in the article (for one thing, I don't believe that Kitson is attempting to "reclaim" the word) but I accept that my history with the word is not the same as the writer's and it hasn't been used to harm me. In it, he reports the epithet as used by his school friends and questions why it was necessary to call their local establishment anything other than "the shop". Still, his family called it the Sikh shop so their attitude is fine. Presumably.

The section is indicative of the tone of the show, if not the general use of language. Kitson discusses several ideas, thoughts and feelings he has a white liberal, generally well meaning member of society constantly questioning himself and whether or not he's acting in the right way. Complicating matters is the fact he's always been an eloquent contrarian, who wishes amongst other things to dump milk in his artisanal coffee purely to irritate a snobby barista. My favourite parts of the show resulted from Kitson's appealing sense of silliness (referring to his penis as "Captain Sadness") and from his sharp eye for observational material (a sensational take on moths).

I don't know if it was the lateness of the hour (9pm start, 110 minute show with no interval) or having done a full day's work or some other combination of factors but I found the second half a bit more of a slog. Kitson has always grappled with hefty ideas but this is his most political work to date and occasionally feels less accessible because of that. It doesn't quite coalesce in a satisfying structural whole as a result of the number of ideas he's attempting to cram into it. I wouldn't say "Something Other Than Everything" ranks up with his best work, but it's a complex, ambitious show that it's difficult to envisage coming from anyone else.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I'll See You In My Dreams

 Today is the first day of the 2024/25 English football season. It will be the first season that begins without my Dad, who died four months ago on 9 th April at the age of 76. My Dad and I have shared football together for as long as I can remember. I fell in love with football largely because of Eric Cantona, who I remember thinking was the coolest man alive. I dimly remember him returning to action after being suspended for his infamous kung fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan, scoring an equaliser against Liverpool and swinging around the stanchion behind the goal at Old Trafford. All of this subsequently led to me wanting to follow Manchester United. I am surprised in retrospect that this man from Houghton-le-Spring who spent most Saturdays in his youth at Roker Park to watch Sunderland AFC didn’t object more vehemently to this. Perhaps he saw it as a decent excuse to watch higher quality players than he was used to. Dad always wanted to watch good teams playing good football. ...
Read more

February In Film

  The Fabelmans The film follows Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), a young aspiring filmmaker dedicated to his craft who must negotiate the challenges posed by familial strife. Any resemblance to a real director is I presume entirely coincidental. One of my issues with the family early on is that they’re almost insufferably twee and not a great deal of interest seems to happen. The film’s central familial conflict feels somewhat implausible and is centred around Sammy’s mother Mitzi (Michelle Williams). I have enjoyed Williams’ work in the past but found her overwrought, hysterical performance here rather offputting.   Thank goodness then that Uncle Boris (Hirsch) arrives to drop a grenade into proceedings, explaining his own history with film and the arts and underlining Sammy’s forthcoming dilemma. He decides to get to work on his highest scale production to date, a war epic. These are the most joyous shots in the movie, teeming with invention especially in the deploym...
Read more

June In Film

  The Little Mermaid I have not seen the original Little Mermaid for something like 25 years. This probably aided my general enjoyment of yet another Disney remake, as I imagine that more diehard fans of the original would find more to fault here than I did. Having said that, some of the alterations worked for me such as the decision to give Prince Eric more backstory and a new song. Halle Bailey is perfectly cast as Ariel (regardless of what the internet’s worst arseholes will have you believe) and the quality of her singing is a match for the original. The highlight of the entire film is probably the moment when the crescendo of “Part Of Your World” hits, the waves crash against the shore and you’re fleetingly reminded of when Disney could still stir the soul. There’s an enjoyable performance too from Melissa McCartney as Ursula who brings a certain amount of fun to one of the House of Mouse’s greatest pantomime villains. Unfortunately, what these films lose in the transiti...
Read more