Tim Key's latest stage show, Megadate, was one of my favourite shows of recent years, so I was a little nervous hitting play to watch this short adaptation of it, retitled, for reasons that aren't clear, Wonderdate.
I needn't have worried. There was already a very visual filmic element to the live show - not just in Key's vivid, evocative language and descriptions of events, but also in the filmed onscreen inserts that punctuated the performance. So actually this is a fairly pain-free move from stage to screen. My only real complaint is that with a running time of 15 minutes this is so good it is frustatingly short.
The plot revolves around Key retracing the steps of last night's date to find a lost hat. It isn't in the bowling alley, it isn't on the Thames beach. It isn't in the cafe where he enjoys a bucket of chicken.
Along the way he gets to ruminate about the nature of romance while trying to track down both his headgear and his date. All the people he meets – including a Thames-side fisherman played by Bill Paterson (evoking Ivor Cutler) – happen to be married, so why isn't he? Where is Tim going wrong?
Not just a deliciously sexy story, it is also beautifully filmed – the director is Jonathan Van Tulleken – in a mix of black and white and colour respectively representing last night and now. And the music – Russian? – is the cherry on the cake. Alongside Key's wonderfully charismatic performance of course.
Spencer Jones – The Mind of Herbert Clunkerdunk Review here.
Nick Helm – The Killing Machine Review here.
