CHRISTIAN DART: BIGGER THAN THE CHRISTMAS TURKEY at the Museum of Comedy

★★★★

“a polished hour of comedy”

Christian Dart was bigger than the Christmas turkey as a child, and now this larger than life character has some topics he wants to discuss. We open to a gleeful rendition of how Dart was born “bigger than the Christmas turkey”; a musical bonanza that epitomises the show; silly, sweet and entertaining. Dart fills the hour with music, jokes, and a trip down memory lane peppered with commentary on social media, token representation and Andrew Tate. Some of the social commentary is hit and miss, potentially being too tangential and forgetting to be funny, wrapped too much in its message. Much of the material takes on a Bo Burnham-esq style; slick, wordy and paced, with complicated statements rolling off sequentially at an impressive speed. The composition of the songs is high quality and witty, with references to Britney Spears and Star Wars.

Dart talks us through break ups, a highlight being his rendition of “I Really Hope Your cat Dies”, an unhinged revenge song that bathes the stage in red as the singer becomes increasingly more violent in his descriptions, verging on edgy alternative humour. The show switches gear to an Andrew Tate hate song that delves into criticism of Youtubers’ antics in a segment that feels somewhat niche to online discussions. In a delightful moment, Dart shares a sweet original children’s song he wrote for a heartbroken pupil “I’ll Send a box of Chocolates to Myself” which feels honest and enjoyable. The wide ranging selection of topics and songs add to the larger than life theme that runs through the hour, never failing to be engaging. In a unique segment we learn about Dart’s lengthy time with Stage Coach as a child, featuring a gold mine of home videos to prove the self-deprecating stories. Dart appears at home on stage, with plenty of spontaneity and adept showmanship.

The seamless integration of video and songs present a well rehearsed variety, with some segments leaving us wanting to know more; he dated someone entirely through Animal Crossing…what was that like? Instead the focus turns to queer representation in Disney films. In a climactic finish, we delve into the politics of Disney editing token scenes in various movies in a song that loses its humour somewhat, lost in a slightly confusing premise with a confusing point of view. Dart hits his stride with silly original songs about his life but gets bogged down in commentary that feels very internet focussed. Christian Dart presents a polished hour of comedy that displays an extensive variety of music and life lived; both relatable and ridiculous, the show is sure to amuse.