For those who may be unaware, Count Arthur Strong is now in the twilight of his career. He started in the dying days of variety where he had some minimal success it seemed, but since then his career has stalled in the backwaters of Doncaster where he hatches mad plans to get him back to the top. He has a unique view of the world where he is the central lynchpin, and every one else are mere satellites.
Over the past twenty years, Count Arthur's tours have sold out venues throughout the country and it was nice to see a packed Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury as the Count took the stage for his "This Is Me" anniversary tour. What you get with the Count is a stream of consciousness ranting about random subjects, often darting off at a tangent before coming back to the main point that Arthur is trying to make. If he can remember it. Like all the greatest character comedians, Count Arthur exists in a world which the faithful inhabit with him. Where his regular port of call is 'The Shoulder Of Mutton' whilst he dines daily at the pinnacle of Doncaster society's eateries Gerry's Cafe (a Michelin tyre has been talked about!). Occasionally stopping off at Wilf Taylor's Quality Meats to inspect the offal. Despite having mixed with the higher end of showbiz alumni (Danny La Rue and Anita Harris are frequently name dropped) Arthur never the less busies himself with lesser schemes much to the detriment of the residents of Doncaster.
Make no mistake about it, Steve Delaney's portrayal of Count Arthur is as great a comic creation as Barry Humphries' Dame Edna or David Jason's Del Boy Trotter. Delaney inhabits the character to his very core, knowing at any moment exactly how Arthur will react or respond. For my money Count Arthur's natural home is the radio where his BBC show has been running since 2005, picking up a spate of awards along the way. His now annual radio Christmas special is among my festive highlights. The BAFTA nominated BBC television sitcom (2013 - 2017) strangely moved this most Northern of characters to the London Boroughs and also contained genuine moments of comic genius. It seemed not everybody 'got' Count Arthur, and the TV show was messed about by the BBC in the schedules and thus its run curtailed, when in fact it had a lot more life in it. But that's showbiz, as Count Arthur knows only too well.
This latest tour by Arthur is a tour-de-force of character comedy as we might expect. Some very funny set pieces involve Napoleon, a French dance sequence, an appearance of Psychic Charlie and the Count's tribute to the King Of Rock 'N' Roll (or should that be bacon rolls?). We may even have been privvy to a casting announcement (somewhere between P and R alphabetically speaking) for the next James Bond movie. To reveal more would deny the joy of surprise for audiences on the tour. Its not the funniest show I have seen Delaney perform (the first half particularly needs a bit more structure) but it cannot be denied that Count Arthur is laugh out loud funny. A perfect tonic for the troubled times we live in. Genius is an overused word in luvvie circles, but for once I think it truly applies. I really do.
Rob Cope for Doctor Theatre
For further details of the tour check out Count Arthur Strong's Website
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