| WILSON DIXON's 'American Dream' |
| Written by Brendon Green |
| Thursday, 06 May 2010 18:06 |
 7PM, Wednesday evening, only 10% of the crowd is actually in the venue and seated. The other 90% are slowly moseying into the Comedy Chamber, buying their drinks from the classy corner bar, and then dispersing throughout the the fanciest venue in the Festival. It finally fills up, not a spare seat in the house, and the time it took to do so would be really annoying if it wasn't so perfectly fitting for the show to come. WILSON DIXON, country music legend, ambles onto the sparsely set stage, guitar in hand. It's a low-key entrance for a performer who prefers to deal in an energy level somewhere between modest and flat-lining. He is very tall, and very skinny, looking almost like an optical illusion, enhanced by his body hugging shirt and jeans. Sitting bow-legged on a stool for the entire show, Dixon is in complete control and the audience is more than happy to let his rambling story unspool at whatever leisurely pace he wants. 'American Dream' is the story of Dixon's road trip across America. It's a trip used to get away from his unhappy life living next door to his ex-wife, and as a search for that indescribable feeling of success and completion. The story serves as a framework for many old-country-music songs that have Dixon waxing lyrical about the state of life and the absurdities it consists of. The songs are hilarious, and the stories in between - all told with an authentic southern drawl - are equally inspired. Wilson Dixon is the personification of laconic. There are hundreds of one-liners that make up the story as a whole, and Dixon's deadpan, no nonsense delivery uses the economy of energy and words to create huge laughs. He is also surprisingly skilled at animal mimicry. His troubled relationship with his horse Andrew, is a recurring highlight, and his best friend/Dog - Biscuit - provides a real heart for the show. There is a reason Wilson Dixon shows sell out, it's because he has a reputation for a guaranteed good time. This reputation is completely deserved, and the effort to pre-book tickets to his show is worth it. Everybody needs to get a bit of Wilson Dixon wisdom in their life. |
