Review: DR DOLITTLE KILLS A MAN (AND READS EXTRACTS FROM HIS NEW BOOK), Soho Theatre

“Magpies don’t normally wear small Nazi uniforms”

Written by and starring Aidan Pittman, Dr Dolittle Kills A Man (And Reads Extracts From His New Book) is set at an event where Dr Dolittle is, as one might guess, reading extracts from his new book, Dr John Dolittle: The Time of My Life. As the audience takes their seats, a number of slides appear on the screen with rules for the show. The show then starts with an introductory video that gives audiences an idea of what is to come in the next hour - jokes, references and visual gags that flash by at the speed of light. 

The crowd is already cheering before Pittman actually takes to the stage, and when he does, the cheers become almost roars - it’s clear that Dr Dolittle has some fans in the audience! But, for those unfamiliar with the man, Dr Dolittle introduces himself, emphasising the fact that no, no matter the resemblance, he is not Eddie Murphy. In fact, the doctor has a deep hatred for Murphy, who portrayed him in not one, not three, but five separate Dr Dolittle movies, which are referred to as “revisionist lefty cash grabs.” 

Tonight, Dr Dolittle will be answering the audience’s questions, telling stories from his many adventures and even revealing some of the secrets behind his abilities! The main story we’ll be hearing tonight? “Dr Dolittle and the F***ing Huge Ruby,” though we do get glimpses of other stories that could have been told, including one about Dr Dolittle being under the sickle of communism and a few about him trying meth. 

But Dr Dolittle isn’t alone on his adventures. Joining him are several different characters, the majority being voiced by director and fellow writer, Hudson Hughes, who does make an incredible onstage appearance as Curious George - though it’s not the George you may remember from your childhood!

Anand Sankar also plays a role in the show, but I won’t spoil the show by giving his character’s name away. And it’s not only humans who are in the cast - something included in the show’s description that caught my eye was its “(patent-pending) Animal-tronics,” several of which appear through the hour we have with Dr Dolittle. I was particularly impressed with a puffin who ends up playing a major role!

A highlight of the show for me is the quick jokes, the kind of references that take you a second to get, but by the time you understand it, Pittman has already moved on to the next one. It’s an exhausting number of comedic moments, as one can tell by the sheer amount of sweat on Pittman by the end of the show! Some of my favourites include ““And so, like the Godot, we wait” and “George Orwell will always be considered the people’s princess”.

There are also some truly ridiculous improvisational moments, including one in which Pittman borrows an audience member’s phone to switch it out with the ruby, but not before taking a selfie with the audience and saying, “Say, ‘Nazi!’” It’s such an out-of-pocket line that I could hear the tech team laughing just as loudly as the audience.

Dr Dolittle Kills A Man (And Reads Extracts From His New Book) is a show that manages to blend stupidity and wittiness perfectly, making for an absurdly delightful hour of comedy. I do hope to see more stories from Dr Dolittle’s book played out in future versions of the show - the book is certainly large enough to have at least five sequels.

Dr Dolittle Kills A Man (And Reads Extracts From His New Book) ran from 30 January - 1 February at Soho Theatre

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