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Alasdair Beckett-King could make a whole meal out of the fact that his surname and his show title landed him in Pleasance’s King Dome.
But why go through the trouble of all those kingly words when ABK will do quite nicely, thank you very much?
ABK may jokingly describe himself as “England’s most Scottish looking man!” but he also proves his point that his long-flowing red hair and features could land him a role as an extra in any period drama, from any period, period. He seems most preoccupied in this hour with reliving the 1990s, though, and there’s a big yellow landline rotary phone on the table beside him that gets a good workout during the show. What’s going on upstairs, though? Wait. There’s an upstairs above King Dome? Never you mind the shenanigans of the old man in his bathtub submersible.
ABK has left plenty of crumbs for us to chew on here, and makes great use of audio and visual cues to enhance the gags. “But these are difficult times for traveling whimsy merchants,” he bemoans at one point. But ABK should have nothing to fear. Despite placing himself in any past period, his technical skills are pitch-perfect for this one, and you could easily imagine seeing his short videos play out on the telly as segments in a satirical news series, or as part of his own sketch showcase.
Alasdair Beckett-King: King of Crumbs plays Pleasance King Dome through Aug. 11, 2025.
