Cyril Blake’s Bonding blends humour and poignancy in a story of how James Bond shapes one man’s life.
At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year I stumbled upon something special. While waiting for a bus, I noticed a billboard for a show called Bonding. Instead of boarding, I walked straight to the box office — and that decision made my day.
Bonding is a one-man show written and performed by Cyril Blake. For seventy minutes he takes us through the life of Stephen, a character who inherits his love of 007 from his father, and how that passion strengthens the bond between them. It’s a mixture of comedy, family life, friendship and poignancy. Stephen’s story unfolds alongside each new actor to play Bond, showing how the character helps him cope with the death of his parents, bullying, and the everyday trials we all face.
The show struck a deep chord with me because, like Stephen, I inherited my own love of 007 from my father. I still remember seeing Thunderball on ITV in 1978 and my first Bond in the cinema — Moonraker in 1979. From that point I was hooked.
Growing up wasn’t easy. I was badly bullied and often surrounded by violence. My safe place was a cupboard under the stairs that I called my “wee bolthole.” There I imagined my heroes — Bond, Starsky and Hutch, Steve Austin from The Six Million Dollar Man, and even The Incredible Hulk — would come to help me. In my young mind, they did, and I’ll always be grateful for it.
That’s why Bonding resonated so strongly. It reminded me of what James Bond has meant throughout my life. For forty-seven years I’ve been a fan, and for twenty-five I’ve been a collector, lucky enough to build up a wonderful collection with the help of family and friends.
Cyril Blake’s performance captured all of that: humour, nostalgia, resilience and heart. He even came out afterwards to meet the audience — a true gentleman.
If you get the chance, please see Bonding. It’s brilliant. And always remember those immortal words: James Bond WILL Return!
Visit the official Bonding website
This sounds great. Always good to hear about performers who stay and chat with the audience afterwards. The one time I went to Fringe, there was a performer who gave everyone a shot of whisky; perhaps Mr Blake missed a trick by not doing likewise with vodka?