Andrew Dipper

A comedy show about finding your dad

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

Following a summer preview run and an Edinburgh Fringe outing, Newcastle’s Live Theatre is welcoming back Ian Mclaughlin’s debut show, Good Timin’, from Wednesday 15 to Saturday 25 October.

The play, we’re told, is a funny, inventive and life affirming one man show, directed by Live Theatre’s artistic director Max Roberts, which asks if there’s more than DNA linking Ian to his missing father?

Ian said: “I was born in Croydon in 1963 and moved to Washington when I was seven with my grandparents. I didn’t know my father growing up and I had never tried to find him.

“It wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I started to think there was a piece of the jigsaw puzzle missing, so, with the help of my mum, we eventually tracked him down and I embarked upon this journey to find out about my errant father.”

Throughout the show audiences will discover amazing parallels between their lives and personalities that make Ian question the very nature of nurture itself. Fusing together personal testimony, stand-up and science, Good Timin’ will question how much parents really pass on to their children and how the things that are kept from them can have a profound effect on their lives.

Ian added: “What I discovered was that my father and I had very similar life paths including the same careers, the same DVD collections and even the same sense of humour.

“Hopefully it’s a story that people can resonate with and really relate to, and I hope audiences will come along with me on this emotional rollercoaster ride.”

Director, Max Roberts told us: “I’ve been an admirer of Ian Mclaughlin’s amazing talent as a performer in The Suggestibles for some time.

“One night he told me the amazing story of this search for his lost Dad. It struck me immediately that it would make a fantastic one man show which he should write and perform.

“It’s a departure for a performer more well known for improvisation, comedy and crazy films. But the result is a beautifully written, witty and at times heart-breaking piece of theatre. Come and enjoy it but maybe bring a hanky.”

Tickets are priced at £14-£10, £12-£10 for over 60s concessions and £5 for other concessions, and can be purchased via the box office on (0191) 232 1232 or online at live.org.uk.