Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog

When Victoria Melody’s dad, TV antique dealer Mike Melody, was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she started planning his funeral. She even trained with a funeral director in South Wales called Gareth! The diagnosis turned out to be a misdiagnosis, so she made this show instead. With the participation of her dad. Does it come quirkier than this?

There’s a lot of storytelling, about the illness, the training (the funeral director was in on the night I went!!), funeral options and the plans for his (a standard funeral director / bereaved relative interview is included, except it’s with the deceased designate). We get to sing her chosen song and hear her eulogy. There’s video footage, notably of an unsuccessful trip to New Orleans to research jazz funerals (funded by the British Council, representatives of which were, somewhat embarrassingly, in the audience). There’s an excellent four-piece band and as a bonus, an antique roadshow style valuation of items the ticket holders were invited to bring along. The first part included her plans, but the second half was largely his chosen funeral.

It’s an extraordinary cocktail of storytelling, examination of funeral conventions and our attitude to death, therapy, father & daughter relationship……flawed by a touch of self-indulgence and, at 2.5 hours, overlong, but very brave, unique, often very funny. completely eccentric and great fun.