The Life I Lead, Wyndham's Theatre - ★★★★ - Until September 21, 2019


David Tomlinson is best remembered for playing Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins. He made a career of playing upper-class twits and the perfect English gentleman. His own life was vastly more complex and touched by tragedy, but he appears to have handled it with an amazing equanimity and good humour. This show gives an insight into the dark realities he had to endure – an unsympathetic father with a secret life, the death of his first wife, and an autistic child. The way he is presented in this piece he manages these challenges with the stereotypically British stiff upper lip and self-deprecating humour. Indeed, Tomlinson comes across as not so different from his alter ego. He is depicted with more self awareness and more humanity, but one feels we still don't see any of the agony that he must have actually sufferedHis life events are presented in the form he has assimilated them and we're invited to laugh sometimes wistfully as we learn about his life. Miles Jupp is quite remarkable in his ability to take on Tomlinson's character, as well as playing Tomlinson's father, Walt Disney and several others. His unbounded energy in doing the sketches and his droll delivery of the anecdotes make this a thoroughly enjoyable evening. This is a one-man show that is a masterclass in the art of performance!

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until September 21, 2019
Mon - Sat: 7:30 pm, Tue & Sat: 2:30 pm
Wyndham's Theatre
Nearest tube: Leicester Square
https://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/tickets/the-life-i-lead/

Most Popular

King of Pangea ★★ King's Head Theatre | Jun 7 - Jul 6, 2025

Intimate Apparel ★★★★★ Donmar Warehouse | Jun 20 - Aug 9, 2025

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Stereophonic ★★★★ Duke of York's Theatre | May 24 - Oct 11, 2025

Edward Burra - Ithell Colquhoun ★★★★ Tate Britain | Jun 13 - Oct 19, 2025

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs ★★★ Kiln Theatre | Jun 13 - Jul 12, 2025

Showmanism ★★★ Hampstead Theatre | Jun 18 - Jul 12, 2025

Head First Acrobats – GODZ ★★★ Sadler's Wells Peacock Theatre | June 11 - 14, 2025

Evita ★★★★ The London Palladium | Until September 6, 2025

Summer Exhibition 2025 ★★★★ Royal Academy of Arts | Jun 17 - Aug 17, 2025

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings