Memoirs of a Professional Cad was written and performed by David Harrold and directed by Sylvia Pepper. |
Memoirs of a Professional Cad is a one-man show about George Sanders, the famous Hollywood villain who I'd never heard of. David Harold was the voice behind Shere Khan in the Jungle Book (which I'd never seen) and the villain in All About Eve (ditto), though I did catch him in Rebecca where he played the evil Jack Favell. The ads came with a tag: 'Remember the languid drawl? The lazy contempt?' I didn't. So this was the problem. How could I judge whether David Harrold was a good mimic, or whether Sanders (the character he played) was actually funny or insightful? Studio-dominated Hollywood, the world he satirised, has long gone. The revelation that his cynicism was superficial was not terribly surprising. The quips about Zsa Zsa Gabor (one of Sanders' wives), Tyrone Power and Yul Brynner sailed over my head. The ones I got weren't terribly funny. The jibes about insincere Americans were trite for my extremely sincere American escort. It was extremely dated stuff - Sanders doesn't seem to have the timeless appeal of someone like Noel Coward. Harrold took a while to warm up, and his attempt at indolent serpentine charm was less convincing and entertaining than the physical comedy of the second act. Even though he has 40's Hollywood good looks, I didn't quite believe that he was a charismatic Hollywood villain. It reminded me of 'Stars in Your Eyes', where the contestants are perfect mimics but without that little bit extra. But it was entertaining and well-written, and I was intrigued to hear that Harrold career-switched into professional acting only recently. I would much prefer to see his other one-man show, First Night and Still No Trousers, which is about him and his first forays into the business, understudying for acclaimed actors like Corin Redgrave. It would be more authentic, more contemporary and more interesting. By Siobhan McAndrew
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