Dalton Trumbo's Reluctant Cabaret – Original Review
Note: This review is from 2003
Don't be seduced by the brilliant name, this musical double act aren't nearly as interesting as they sound.
Dalton - who stole the name from the blacklisted Hollywood scriptwriter behind Spartacus - is a jolly, kiddies' entertainer type, backed by the silent Lady Hugo on the Yamaha.
Together - and with a deliciously sneering attitude - they parody the sort of cheesy holiday camp entertainers whose talent falls a long way short of their enthusiasm.
But the same could be said of these two as they rope in their audience for a farmyard animal singalong. Other material includes a variation on the 'what if men used tampons' standard, and a nipple-wiggling dance.
The routine has its moments, but overall they prove neither sharp enough nor silly enough to raise more than a wry smile with a shtick that seems dated and characters that remain too shallow to be engaging
Review date: 1 Feb 2003
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett