My Dog’s Got No Nose comes to Exeter

After his highly acclaimed performance of Old Herbaceous, Giles Shenton returns to The Cygnet Theatre with another “exceptional” one-man play called My Dog’s Got No Nose. Being billed as a comedy, and the title it has, understates what is, in fact, a wonderful piece of theatre. This national touring production, produced by Kick In The Head (Old Herbaceous, Fagin?, Heroes), has been stunning audiences since February 2017. Written by the well-known actor, director and playwright, Ron Aldridge, My Dog’s Got No Nose takes us on a journey into the life of a middle-aged man whose one ambition in life is to be a stand-up comedian. There is plenty of comedy in the first half of this play as the would-be stand-up comedian prepares for his first show – practising, agonising, self-doubting as he awaits his cue to go on.

But this one-man performance, “brilliantly put over by Giles Shenton”, is so much more than that as it evolves in the second half. It is a story full of feelings, the whole gamut of emotions, frustration, anger, pathos and tragedy. It absorbs the audience fully as it moves to its dramatic conclusion and puts one in mind of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads television plays. It is the tears of a clown – exploring one man’s personal life usually hidden by the make-up and the buzz of entertaining an audience.

As Giles explains, “There are a couple of unexpected twists towards the end of the play which leave the audience stunned into silence, not something you often find in comedy shows”. Critics have loved both the play and Giles’ performance with one sending out the clear message “Giles Shenton gifts us with another tour de force…. catch it while you can!”

Coming to The Cygnet Theatre, Exeter, on Saturday 5 May 2018 at 7.30pm. Tickets £12 available from 01392 277189 or cygnettheatre.com.

“Giles Shenton held his audience’s attention for nearly two hours; their interest or curiosity in the first half and then to have them fully engrossed in the second before a shocked silence when you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium.” Alton Herald

"We are privileged to share in a moving expose of a testing and, in a way, very lovely gamut of human emotion. Giles Shenton gifts us with another tour de force…. catch it while you can!” Surrey Advertiser

"Being billed as a comedy, and the title it has, understates what is a wonderful piece of theatre.

But this one-man performance, brilliantly put over by Giles Shenton, is so much more than that as it all evolves in the second half. It is a story full of feelings, the whole gamut of emotions, frustration, anger, pathos and tragedy. It absorbs the audience fully as it moves to its dramatic conclusion, and puts one in mind of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads television plays of a few years ago. It is the tears of a clown – exploring one man’s personal life usually hidden by the make-up and the buzz of entertaining an audience.

The audience was privileged to be entertained, and have its emotions thoroughly massaged, by such a thought provoking and high-quality production." Beccles & Bungay Journal