by Laura Kressly

Known for masterful storytelling of gentle comedy and devastating tragedy purportedly from his own life, James Rowland opens his newest play with a line from Hamlet. This foreshadows less humour and more melancholy, but both come in spades in this monologue on father-son relationships and mental health.

Hamlet, of course, also includes these topics. It’s a fitting point of reference given the premise of this show is James being commissioned to make a tribute show to his late father, by his dad’s best friend, Dick. After an obligatory dick joke, Rowland endows the man with a Brian Blessed-esque voice and a personality that’s just as large and immensely entertaining. The process leading up to the performance includes trips to Rowland’s home village, plenty of anecdotes from his past, and chatting about Dick’s son Chris, who James considers a brother. Structurally, the story meanders a lot – which also corresponds to the geographies that Rowland literally maps – and is ultimately less about the show and more about the people. Though this shifting attention and Rowland’s intimate style of conversational delivery offset this somewhat, at the end it all feels a little unfocused.

This is the nature of life, though. One of Rowland’s USPs is his ability to convince audiences that his stories are 100% real, and the lack of tidiness or clear resolution is certainly convincing. Candid discussion of men’s mental health and navigating people’s differing perceptions of our loved ones are also hugely valuable, and set this show apart from his previous work.

James Rowland: Piece of Work runs through 27 August.

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