Emporium of MirthInner Voices: The Expedition
It’s probably wrong to review this monologue as comedy, even with lines such as “it’s minus... minus enough to make you want to put hats on every part of you”, and, “it’s like travelling with an incredibly tetchy, self-righteous orang-utan, but they’d be slightly quicker with the maps”. Many people don’t hold comedians and comic actors in high enough esteem to believe they can do characters. Dylan Moran proves them all wrong as Aidan Clark, a reluctant explorer of the Arctic tundra, in regular tape-recorded messages to his girlfriend Isabelle. His tone is endearing, instantly warming the audience to him in his plight of being stranded by his travelling companion.
It’s hard to know quite what to make of this fifteen-minute piece. It’s funny, shocking and incredibly sad, but overall confusing. Perhaps it’s art. Whatever it is, it’s certainly captivating, and I would urge you to listen.
Similar monologues will also be performed by Stewart Lee, Curtis Walker and Mark Maier.
Inner Voices will be broadcast Wednesdays from 14th July, Radio 4