Review

Dawn French – Thirty Million Minutes @ Cambridge Corn Exchange

Dawn French, famously known as Geraldine Granger from ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ and half of the comical double act ‘French and Saunders’ – embarked on her debut solo tour.

Thirty Million Minutes is named after the amount of time she has been alive (not after the length of the show, she jokes during her intro). French takes us on a two hour journey, chaptering her show with various ‘how do’s’ from talking about her happy childhood to ‘How do you be a daughter?’. This particular chapter really tugged on the heartstrings – French opened up about her father’s death and how this influenced her dating choices. Irrespective of this, French spent the majority of time speaking fondly of many people in her life.

Dawn involves her audience with digital visuals such as photos from her younger years and animations which forced a sea of empathy and admiration emanating from the audience.
I found the general experience satisfying and charming but the similarities between her show and the book ‘Dear Fatty’ are far too alike to have evoked more emotion. It’s a shame there wasn’t any new material that a fan of French could fully enjoy. If you are hoping to walk out with your sides hurting then this may not be for you.