The title here has a double, or even treble meaning: about time he was back on tour, about time we see him at the Rondo again, about time the government was fit for purpose; and other untimely things.
But also because this is a show about time, what is it, where is it leading, what does Albert Einstein think on the subject?
Yes, it can be deep, but also musical and very funny. Also, a lot of us have been thinking, “Isn’t it about time this show started?”, as we wait in eerie silence for an empty stage to fill, in the end not with one person, but two: the reason – endless gremlins with the sound system, and frequent visits to the stage of the young sound engineer.
Does this throw Mr. Benn off balance? No it does not. He riffs with the sound engineer, he riffs with the audience, and he gets on with the show.
He’s lost none of his wit and songwriting and performing ability while he’s been away and off-duty in pandemic lockdown, and he has much to say and sing about that.
Other topics he pitches into include the utter uselessness of our current crop of governments; what is the nature of time and why it seems to slow down or speed up; the awfulness of middle age; why the director’s cut of ‘Blade Runner’ is a crime against cinema and much else.
The pace never drops, notwithstanding visits from the sound engineer; the songs and the guitar are as punchy as ever.
He even has an ability to expose with honesty his vulnerabilities in his personal life, while still singing and joking about it at top volume. The man is very much a one-off, and should be cherished as a unique and essential contributor to the performing arts in this country.
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Reviewer: John Christopher Wood | Star rating: ****
