Review by Nione Meakin

Sometimes accused of not living up to his full potential, Rob Rouse finally seems to have hit his stride with this joyous rollercoaster of a show.

From the starting point of moving his family to the Peak District to escape the cost and claustophobia of London, the former geography teacher spins a wild and totally enthralling yarn that harnesses his manic energy to great effect.

Rouse has a real talent for characterisation and by creating a one-man soap opera (think The Archers crossed with Shameless) gives himself plenty of opportunity to show off these skills. One moment he's an anthropomorphic Polish dog, the next he's a man known locally as Roadkill Bill.

In between, he manages to crowbar in some more generic segments about his wife's parking technique, the horrors of potty training and a riotous swipe at the TV news coverage of the volcanic ash chaos.

The gurning and silly dancing is nicely balanced by a dry, sardonic humour; a gag likening geography to substance abuse just keeps running and a description of an embarrassing trip to the chemist threatens to send the audience into actual hysteria.

The grand finale is slightly over-ambitious, attempting and not quite managing to emulate the sort of full-speed, multiple call-back crescendo of Rhod Gilbert's shows, but by this point we're laughing too hard to really nit-pick about such things.

It's testament to the show's success that Rouse has got most of the audience up and dancing as he exits the stage - and it's one way of guaranteeing yourself a standing ovation. Brilliant, uplifting fun that shows just what Rouse can achieve when he sets his mind to it.

Review date: 13 Aug 2010
Reviewed by: Nione Meakin