Comedy review: Dorothy Paul, Glasgow King’s Theatre

By BRIAN DONALDSON
Published on 19/03/2012 02:02

IF YOU were being kind, you’d say that a Dorothy Paul show is a timeless affair.

The less charitable might conclude that she is hopelessly stuck in the old variety-hall tradition which has served her with a long career.

Aside from a passing reference to hoodies and Edinburgh’s trams, her Retiring From Retirement! show could have taken place in just about any decade since the Fifties.

The reason Paul has decided to return to showbiz isn’t simply due to being bored with domestic chores; she is insistent that if Engelbert Humperdinck can do it, then so can she.

While Paul undoubtedly has the Ordinary Glaswegian vibe down to a tee, it doesn’t exactly mean she has a handle on rip-roaring comedy, and the set is littered with cringeworthy punchlines, lame malapropisms and coothy logic.

Both halves begin with her cleaning lady character, while her piano accompaniment, in the shape of the amiable John Crawford, has the attention of very few in the audience as Paul pops off for a costume change.

During the second half, in true old school style, she even takes time to read out some “intimations” and, for no performance-enhancing reason in particular, brings on her two young grandchildren, 50 per cent of whom clearly didn’t want to be there.

On the upside, she tells a pleasing story about sweary graffiti and a surprisingly bleak tale of some ashes-scattering gone awry. In the main, however, we are transported to a bygone age with humour that time forgot.

Rating: **