Review: Arthur Smith at Perth Theatre

May 27 2008 by Peter Cargill

ARTHUR SMITH is a man of many talents – stand-up comic, radio presenter and playwright. But such is the power of television he is chiefly a grumpy old man!

And the PFA audience just loved it when he started on one or two of his pet rants, aided and abetted by suggestions from the patrons.

But it was not without its moments of seriousness. He glossed over his near-death experiences when he contracted pancreatitis and is now teetotal, his on-going fight with diabetes and now doesn’t smoke, and performed an emotional poem about his dad.

But it was mainly laughs and they were in plentiful supply. The Cockney has a unique style – it was like having a chat with an old friend.

He admitted a penchant for name-dropping and to illustrate had a display board of ‘A’ listers he had encountered from Bill Clinton to a convicted murderer and with a story about every one of them.

His comedy is based on observation, but then taken to the absurd. It is a style that strikes a chord with everyone and his appearance was another notch on the success belt of PFA.