Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen Vol. 2

A grumpy old comedian re-imagining an even older and grumpier troubadour’s work is not the best premise to a fun night out, but Arthur Smith’s show was both a faithful, if tongue-in-cheek, homage to ‘laughing Len’ and an irreverent yet moving tribute to his mother, Hazel. Backed by a trio of talented singer/musician sidekicks, The Smithereens, Cohen’s melancholic songs were delivered convincingly between remembrances of childhood salad days, well-worn doctor jokes and Hazel’s dementia-driven pearls of wisdom. Smith also shared the hilarious narcissism of Leonard Nimoy’s poetic endeavours in an evening of laughs, poignancy and totally gratuitous full-frontal nudity.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 15 October 2014

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