Thirty million minutes of Dawn French Live at the Kings Theatre Portsmouth.

Dawn stepped on stage in a black tasselled dress with leggings and boots looking young and vigorous. She is 30 million minutes which is something like 57 I think she mentioned. She looked amazing.

 Rather than a stand up comedy act, this was an interesting account of the comedienne’s life from the childhood to menopause, now approaching dementia.  Dawn takes you on a journey through time in which she is the main character. Behind her was a giant screen in which she shared images of herself as a child as well as friends and family. It was easy to relate aspects of her past especially women of a certain age who have similar memories.

Admitting that her desire to be in entertainment, was to do with her need for attention as a child. She dared to dream of becoming a primer ballerina and a bridesmaid. The recount of her being rejected from bridesmaidism was hilarious. As for the ballerina thing, I think it must've become apparent in adulthood that it wasn't meant to be.

(left)Dawn's wedding outfit designed to upstage the bridesmaid.

She tells the story about when the queen mother came to her house when she was very young. How everything had to be clean and tidy. Having to  wear new clothing and how she and her brother should bow or curtsy.  When the queen mother arrived Dawn couldn't understand why she didn't wear a crown and her teeth weren't perfect. That memory scarred her as she thought some imposter was entering her home and no one was stopping it from happening.

It’s hilarious in places but also deep and thought provoking as she shares parts of her life that are quite personal.

For instance, when she lost lots of weight and the tabloids were speculating about calories and gastric bands, I learned that she had cancer of the uterus and had to sleep in a bathtub one night in a hotel because she was bleeding so heavily. She shed seven or eight stone prior to the hysterectomy.

She also spoke of her beloved Father who died tragically when she was only nineteen,  her little girl Billie who was stalked by a  journalist and her marriage to Lenny Henry that had come to an end.

 

Dawn's dad

with Lenny Henry

She touched on her relationships within her family too and she had quite interesting grandparents with some funny stories.

 Her relationship with her body, as you can imagine was comedic yet at the same time very self accepting.  I got the impression Dawn is really ok with herself, comfortable in her own skin. She has arrived at a place in time where she can stick two fingers up at the press.

Funnily enough there was not much reference to her career in all of this. Dawn has given us the real person this time. The daughter, the wife, the mother and her brush with single life.  She is now happily married again with new in laws and children to boot.

This show will appeal to real fans who appreciate that she is a real person as well as a famous comedienne.