Rob Auton is absolutely brilliant in this TED Talk parody equivalent, “CAN”. Rob or “Can” (his character name) used to be the number one motivational speaker in the entire world. However, what starts extremely positive has a dark twist as Can describes how his motivational personality was ruined by self-destruction.
The show begins how you would expect a motivational speaker to start a show: Positively. Motivational words like “achieve”, “love,” and “risk” are scattered lovingly across the stage floor. I can’t say I feel more motivated reading them, but it brings a pleasant atmosphere into the dark, prop-less room.
During the show, Can takes you through examples of how he motivates, turning people’s lives from satisfactory to outstanding. For instance, his postman Daniel, who went all the way from delivering Kettlebells to being the Prime Minister of Algeria. Rob’s show is hilarious, drawn from everyday life. You leave thinking, “Why do I text people to let them know I’m on the bus?” and “Why is the fire exit man running?”.
Rob’s entire show is a joke on motivational speeches, and even though he is trying to be funny (successfully, I should say), the motivation still sometimes pushes through. Rob has created a one-man show that blurs the lines between satire and eccentricity. CAN is a joke, but at the same time, it does weirdly inspire you to just get out of bed and do something every day, even if it’s just creating red blood cells.
Rob Auton: CAN (An Hour-Long Story) 13.25, Assembly Roxy, until August 24 (not 16)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/rob-auton-can-an-hour-long-story
