All the World’s a Stage: One Player’s View of It
‘Just Jim Dale’ Says It All and Does It All
Charles Isherwood
June 4, 2014: In his light-footed and lovable new solo show, Just Jim Dale, the man of the hour and a half recalls an early turning point in his path toward a long career in show business. When the young Mr. Dale was taken to his first West End musical, Me and My Girl, he watched a comic dazzle the audience with a tumble into the orchestra pit and felt a sudden, churning yearning to be up there, basking in the laughter. He turned to his father and asked how he might make a go of it. The answer: “Learn how to move.” Mr. Dale clearly took the advice to heart. Like a shot, he was off to ballet class, although he was not destined to become the British Baryshnikov. He did, however, soon master the art of the pratfall. He would also acquire an ability to swivel his hips and strum a guitar, Elvis-style, and learn to deliver a song while walking a tightrope, and perform Molière while hopping around on the backs of auditorium seats.
READ THE REVIEW