Letters

I went for a wine class at the Goosecross Winery yesterday which was great. On Monday I'll be spending my day off visiting several wineries and I'm glad I did this first as I'll know a little more about what to look for.

The show has gone up a couple of gears. I was concerned about the ending losing some of its power but I think I've solved it by adding a few images at the end that seem to make the facts clearer and now everyone seems to get the information at the same time instead of in dribs and drabs. It's odd that if an audience find something funny but they each do so in their own moment it loses any punch. But if the whole audience come to the realisation at the same time it feels really funny. But how do they know that everyone else is getting it? How does this atmosphere make itself known? Hmmm.

The audiences have been smallish so far but the reaction has been great. There was a review in the local paper - The Napa Valley Register - which I've added to the reviews page which was nice enough although they largely told the reader what the show is about and neglected to say much about whether or not they liked it and why.

Perhaps the best review came, not from the paper's critic but from a local B&B owner, who wrote to the local paper. I won't add this to the review page because... well because while it was in the paper it wasn't a review... but if you removed the words "Dear editor" it would be a doozy:

Dear editor,

The Napa Valley Opera House sometimes seems too small, too intimate. Take the recent opening performance of Dave Gorman's "Googlewhack Adventure," a one-man show. Gorman, a British comedian, here for a two-week run, is just hugely funny. He's nearly too big for the stage.

Gorman's performance is to funny what a water drop is to the Niagara Falls, what the first spark was to the big bang, and what the first step is to a journey around the world. If this description and these word associations don't communicate how much fun you'll have listening to Gorman's story, let me try this: Your life will be meaningless and utterly sad unless you see him.

It's not that he's just that funny. He is. It's not that he's more energizing than a Starbucks Grande Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccino with a double espresso. He is. It's not that he's just brilliant. He clearly is. It's all this and more. He's what every live one-man show must be: Completely captivating. He holds your attention throughout an hour and a half (plus!) of non stop rant. And he does it with a British accent!

This show is not for people with poor hearing. Nor is it suited for the stupid, like the person whose cell phone went off twice during the performance! It's not that we've not heard a cell phone's ring (chime, chatter, song etc.) before, we all have. But it's seldom that it becomes part of the evening's performance. Gorman handled it brilliantly! The incidents' minor ripple was lost in a sea of laughter when Gorman politely reminded the cell phone owner that it would only happen again if they didn't turn it off! It did. The rest of us wanted to pummel the culprit. Miles of smiles later, we found ourselves on our feet clapping and shouting Gorman's praises. It's amazing what one very talented, funny man in an intimate theater can do. Now, go! See him, before it's too late for you. You've been warned. Go!

Jim Beazley

Beazley House

I wish Jim Beazley was the Napa Valley Register theater critic and Sasha Paulsen ran a B&B.