Myra Dubois dazzled and delighted with her show ‘Be Well’, aiming to assist her audience or affectionately nicknamed ‘AdMyras’ with whatever issues may trouble them. Through her ‘one-step program’ she created an environment filled with tons of belly-laughs, uproarious applause, and ultimately the (rather poignant) lesson of simply being yourself. No matter how much of a drama-queen or diva you may be.
The opening act was led by Frank Lavender, Myra Dubois’ brother-in-law, who seemed totally opposite to everything Myra was. If Myra was the fabulously wealthy aunt at Christmas, Frank was more the disgruntled uncle sitting in the corner.
His delivery was full of ‘that’s what she said’ gimmicks, dirty humour, and a barrage of dad jokes. Hilariously funny and totally unexpected, since I was experiencing a Myra Dubois show for the first time, and was surprised to see someone with the appearance of a (and I say this with affection) budget Colonel Sanders.
It was a brilliant way of warming up the crowd, which was strange to say considering Frank’s character labelled himself as “the only straight man left in show business”. In a show of great crowd work, an audience member was called onto the stage and donned a feathery showgirl headband, and was instructed to tally up every single laugh from the audience. It was a great success, considering that he’d gotten 102 laughs out of us by the end of the act. And that, dear readers, was only the opening act!
As the stage lit up again after the interval, in swooped the fabulous and show-stopping Myra Dubois. Donned in jewels and a look that resembled something you might see on a reality TV show in the 00s, she began to show off her array of talents. The highlight of which was her improvisation skills and ability to work the crowd just how she wanted them.
“The first step of AdMyraism, is…get over it!”
She brought on two audience members on separate occasions to ‘solve’ their issues, something like a group therapy session. Her solution? Create a sandwich; say something nice to them (though it was layered like a backhanded compliment), say something ‘constructive’, and then something nice again. Myra hilariously poked fun at them, and several members in the crowd, leaving the rest of us in stitches at her delivery.
Her skills as a comic deeply impressed me, in particular her ability to go off-script and quickly toss jokes around as if it was nothing. Her underlying dirty humour was veiled behind a quirky and glamorous delivery, and I was swept away with her musical talent, too.
Overall, ‘Be Well’ was the funniest, most unexpected bunch of laughs I’ve had the privilege of witnessing. Cheeky, fabulous, dramatic, and a perfect introduction to just how brilliant Myra Dubois is as a comic.
Rating: ★★★★★
Be Well played at the Leadmill on October 1st and is touring the U.K. until October 19th
