Words: Elodie Marriott

4 stars 

“Shalom! Come on, get it out. This is the time!” 

Tom Rosenthal is aware that most people are here because they’re fans of Friday Night Dinner. He gracefully gives us the opportunity at the start to get our “lovely bit of squirrel’s and “any females?” out before he properly begins. And when he does, he doesn’t take another breath until the end of the show. 

With rapid and unceasing delivery, Brooklyn Beckham, Daniel Radcliffe, and nepo butchers aren’t fast enough to escape Rosenthal’s blunt assessments. Even Gandhi (referred to as the ‘toe goblin’) isn’t above criticism. 

The title refers to the show’s loose connection to the Arctic Monkeys, the band through which he contemplates art: who deserves to do it, who should stop, and how to create without caring what others think. As an actor, the son of a famous father, and someone with autism-“I’m rude but it’s your fault you find me that way”—his takes on these topics are both hilarious and genuinely interesting. 

If you can put up with Rosenthal making his hands talk only to each other for a few minutes, the rest of the show is well worth the watch. 

Tom Rosenthal: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am 
Upstairs at Assembly Roxy 
18:15
16 -25 Aug