REVIEW:

Bonding

Ballys - Gluttony
Thursday 27/2/2025

Bond fans are a unique breed. They love all the films (excluding the last misstep). Each has a favorite actor and villain, and they’re more than willing to overlook the flaws and as-iffy moments in this now 26-film franchise.
Cyril Blake has brought his one-man Bond-themed show from the UK after a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe. He plays Stephen, who recounts his upbringing in a working-class English town, focusing on his largely disconnected relationship with his father—bonded only by their shared love of Ian Fleming’s hero.

The narrative follows Stephen from boyhood to adulthood, linking key life events to the Bond films of the era, with each shift anchored to the actor playing 007 at the time. Simple jacket changes are used to mark these transitions, but the frequency becomes distracting.

Much of the first act feels awkward, as Blake struggles to define the show’s tone, wavering between mediocre stand-up and monologue. The decision to jump between time periods, rather than following the chronological order of the films, disrupts the narrative flow.
Attempts at impersonating the various Bonds fall flat—unless you can nail the Connery, it’s better left alone.

The show only finds its footing in the final 15 minutes, where Blake recounts a shared cinema experience between father and son. This moment of catharsis is powerful and the one time he truly connects with the material.
There’s potential here, but the show needs more Bond-centric moments and narrative ties to keep fans engaged and maintain its thematic focus.

This is was a golden try, but I was neither shaken nor stirred. With some reworking, Blake should try another day.

https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/bonding-af2025
3 Stars
Jeff Lang
For Adelaide Review Team
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