Picture from everymanplayhouse.com
Originally published by L.S. Media. May 17th 2010.
Everybody has a favourite place they have lived, the one place where no matter what was wrong with it, it was home. The squeaky floorboard on the stairs which woke everybody up every time you trod on it and the mould stain that would never quite go away no matter how much mould killer you put on it, all add to the memories of somewhere which is safe, loved and yours.
Daniel Kitson makes this wonderful observation in his latest round of storytelling, titled 66a Church Road. As he maintains himself it is a break up story and eulogy to his longest relationship, albeit one made of bricks and mortar and owned by a the kind of guy you wouldn’t want as a landlord let alone a father in a law.
The whole premise is so wonderfully crafted and superbly told, that at no point do you feel as though you are in an audience of hundreds, this is a story he is telling to you personally and seeking your understanding of why he loved the house, even though the wall was used by the population of Crystal Palace as a toilet, the cracked window became a permanent fixture and the landlord dangling the ever unreachable carrot of selling the property to him.
Although the story is littered with these and other anecdotal stories, you get the sense of loss that Daniel has suffered and how much you sympathise with his plight whether it is through a home or a much loved partner, loss can shape the way you view the world.
Daniel ends the story after he has moved away from the house he has called home for the previous six years, he has been away for a while, when suddenly he gets a call from his old landlord/ Father in law to tell him he is finally ready to sell the house and would he come round to take a look. The despair in Daniel’s voice is unpalatable as he sees how another man has ruined what he had once loved.
Daniel Kitson is a joy to listen to and it is no wonder that his shows are so well received and a firm favourite for those who go along and see him.
Ian D. Hall