Festival Theatre, Malvern – until 19th February 2022.
Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau
4.5 ****
Sunshine duly brought!
The Play What I Wrote is more than just a staged version of a Morecambe and Wise TV episode. There are, of course, some of their signature trademarks: face slapping, the long coat and flat cap, the dance off etc. But this is much cleverer than just a modern impression of Eric and Ernie. It is a show with its own multifaceted story to tell. And a mighty enjoyable one at that!
The show opens with a recurring joke (involving a harmonica) before exploding at breakneck speed as our two principle actors, Dennis Herdman and Thom Tuck (playing themselves), introduce their manic characters with some lightning fast jokes, skits and comedic songs.
Dennis and Thom are extremely funny and do an amazing job evoking the spirit of Eric and Ernie – but in their own inimitable style. They were thoroughly entertaining throughout and it was obvious they are also steeped in the history of British comedy, with shades of Monty Python (silly walks), Carry On’s bawdy double entendres and the heyday of light entertainment evident in abundance.
Mitesh Soni (playing Arthur & others) is hysterical. The show, arguably, has three principle actors – with Arthur being the third. In the best tradition of Panto (and 70’s TV) his “others” included several extraordinarly implausable female characters which the principles play off to hilarious effect.
One of the highlights of any Morecombe & Wise show was the sending up of the guest star, who was in on the joke. Who can forget Des O’Connor, Andre Previn, Shirley Bassey or Glenda Jackson’s turns, to name but a few? Tonight’s special star guest was someone you will undoubtedly know and love; being a lady of bona fide comedy credentials, having starred in several of the nation’s all time favourite television comedies. I won’t spoil the surprise as to who it is (as I understand she will be appearing again) but she was fabulous. I especially enjoyed her asides and address to the audience which were pitch perfect.
The play what he wrote, “The Scarlet Pimple Gets Squeezed”, is well worth waiting for with some wonderful visual gags and some fine “knowing” dialogue making it clear that the piece is clearly beneath the star guest’s dignity.
If you love the style of comedy that Eric and Ernie were masters of you will love this show. It will leave you with aching sides and a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. Like their bygone era’s Saturday night TV schedule, this show has everything – song, dance, slapstick, saucy jokes, a nice line in name mispronounciation and much more. This show is a nostalgic and affectionate homage and one that all the family will enjoy.
The director (Sean Foley) calls the show’s style of comedy “sophisticated daftness” and I think that is a perfect way to describe it. Whatever you call it, it’s a show that will leave you smiling long after the roars of laughter have died down. Sunshine duly brought!