Review: EDINBURGH 2024: LARRY DEAN: DODGER, Monkey Barrel Comedy

“Me and my partner went to meet my cousin at her boss’s flat”

Larry Dean: Dodger begins with Dean joking about what he thinks will be the first thing that people notice about him - his appearance. The audience is introduced to one of the central characters in his story, his nan, with her description of Dean, saying that he looks “left-handed.” From that introductory comment, we are already being given some insight into the woman’s character, implying we’re in for some wild stories over the next hour. Dean also tells us a bit about his hero, Elvis, and how his love for the man has impacted his life.  

We learn a bit about Dean’s partner, Mikey, who has a Birmingham accent that Dean compares to a whale song, physically sinking down to the floor each time he imitates him and claiming that “he talks like doctor’s handwriting.” Dean expresses his concern about introducing Mikey to his nan, but it turns out that he has nothing to worry about, as Nanny actually begins flirting with Dean’s partner!

After these introductions, we are finally introduced to Dean’s nan, who he refers to throughout the show as “Nanny.” Nanny has dementia, which influences how Dean and his family interact with her. She is experiencing “time-hopping,” going through different periods in her life while being unaware of the present time. Dean compares his nan to a Delorean, hopping through time and taking those with her along for the ride. As his nanny had gone along with Dean’s imagination when he was a child, Dean goes along with his nanny’s mind as the dementia changes it. 

Another theme of the show is Dean being diagnosed with autism after having several partners suggest that he take a test for it, to which he hilariously responds, “Hope you’re happy, can’t read your faces.” Dean brings up the fact that many other comedians are being diagnosed with autism - indeed, there are quite a few shows at the Fringe this year on the subject. He goes into detail on how he was unsure whether he had autism or was simply dealing with the effects from his mother’s postnatal depression, something he acknowledges as difficult while still confirming his love for his mum and the nannies who helped raise him. 

As one might expect from a story involving a deceased grandmother, Dean discusses how he handles the grief of losing his nan, saying that he prefers to sleep while grieving so that he is able to see his deceased loved ones in his dreams. He faces many regrets when working through his grief, but his family and loved ones are there to comfort him, with his mother making an incredibly heartfelt comment about what his “superpower” may be.

There are also some dark jokes, including one referring to when both of his nans took nasty falls as “Nan11,” saying, “We didn’t realise it was a big deal until the second nan fell.” These moments of grief and darkness are quite a contrast to the lighter moments and make for a great variety of moments in the show.

Larry Dean: Dodger is a fantastic hour of comedy that mixes brilliant jokes with heartfelt moments between Dean and his grandmother. Dean manages to tie together important aspects of his life into a beautiful show that will have audiences laughing and wanting to call their nans. 

Larry Dean: Dodger ran until 25 August at Monkey Barrel Comedy - Monkey Barrel 3.

Photo Credit: Matt Crockett

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