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Searching undeterred: The Gift @ParkTheatre

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I recently had a few parcels go missing from where I live. The first parcel disappeared without a trace. The second parcel's contents were removed, and the box was left alone in the lobby. It's one of the things that you have to put up with living in central London. Apart from complaining to the delivery company and filing a police report, it crossed my mind to think about what would happen if I sent myself something rather unpleasant for a future parcel thief to open up. Well, Dave Florez's new work, The Gift, is in this line of thinking, except that the lead receives an anonymous gift of a turd in the mail rather than sending it to himself. It is lovingly gift-wrapped in a cake box from a posh north London bakery. It's a fascinating and hilarious three-hander currently playing at Park Theatre .  Colin (Nicholas Burns) is a little obsessive at the best of times. He doesn't let things drop quickly and is obsessed with the details behind anything and everythi...

Music: Daniel Boys

Thanks to a large volcanic ash cloud which stranded Johnnyfox in New York (not that he minded by his tweets), I was lucky to catch Daniel Boys at Pizza on the Park Thursday evening. Daniel has appeared in various shows including Avenue Q and has recently released an album  So Close, that has become very popular...

All of this has given him the opportunity to showcase his talents and charm in the intimate space of Pizza on the Park. It was Daniel, a great band and an audience. An audience that appeared to be mostly very appreciative women. There must be something about his boyish charm, enthusiasm and lovely vocals that drives women crazy. While they weren't throwing an underwear on stage I wondered whether this was simply because they weren't wearing any.

Anyway, Daniel performed mostly on a stool behind a music stand and looked loveable. This might have seemed a bit odd if you were directly in front of him (unless you like singing music stands), but fortunately I was off to the side. What was nice about the performance was his ability to give a fresh interpretation to a number of songs I had heard many times before. And of course he sounded great. I would prefer if artists could avoid the songs of John Bucchino and go for something lighter and fresher sometimes, but I guess you can't have everything.

Daniel stayed around signing autographs and his album is a treat. But so is seeing him live. This series has sold out but he is appearing at other venues later in the year... Pizza on the Park closes this June and while I will miss the eighties decor, I suppose all good things have to come to an end... As the audioboos suggest, while the men at my table weren't about to throw their underwear, good times were had by all. And it wasn't just the wine talking (hic).

Listen!
via AudioBoo

Listen!
via AudioBoo

Listen!
via AudioBoo

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