The Surprise: Martin Dockery engages us all

The surprise for me was to find so many people at this show on a hot Thursday at 5 pm.   Martin Dockery was at last year's Fringe and was well-received, as they say, hence this response.

Dockery simply talks, often fast, without props.   The main surprise, which I suppose I should not give away, comes 12 minutes in.

We have heard before that about his girlfriend and his father.   A  later surprise is a surreal fragment about a dangerous dinosaur hand in a box.   Dockery's narrative includes an account of a romantic rundown hostel in Cambodia and a long description of taking photos at Angkor Wat at dawn, all palm trees and reflections, energetically re-enacted as he paces or crouches.   At a deeper level, The Surprise engages with non-comunication, repressing and concealing feelings.

Dockery is a storyteller, though he decries the term because of the implication of appearing in libraries for small children.   His story is sometimes amusing;  mostly I enjoyed following its  twists, turns, jumps, and, yes, surprises.   I found Dockery engaging, his big hands so constantly in motion that at times my concentration was on his mobile fingers.