It seems I have arrived a little late to the party on this show, and, as a reviewer, trying to find something new and original to comment on this particular evening is simply impossible. All the reviews are already in, from celebrity endorsements to serious critical appraisal, and one thing everyone is agreed upon is that this duo of 'Eric' and 'Ern' are just about as close to the reincarnations of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise as you are ever going to get.
Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stevens, both graduates of The Birmingham School of Speech and Drama, have been performing as a tribute double-act for quite some time, and formed their friendship when still at drama school. I have never had the privilege or pleasure of seeing Morecombe and Wise live, although I have seen many of their TV shows, and have long been an admirer of their brand of comedy. This evening was therefore really quite special. Some of the routines and repartee had been updated to reflect 2018, but all were consistent with their trademark style, and many of the old favourite gags, routines and jokes were in there too.
The 2 hour show (including interval) whizzed by, and I and I imagine many more, could have stayed much longer. This was comedy of a sadly bygone era, when simple fun-poking, silly gags, daft dancing, and innuendo were all the rage - unlike today where comedians shout a lot, swear a lot, and basically abuse their gift and their position all in the name of 'humour'.
Routines included 'This Is Your Life', 'Positive Thinking', 'When You're Smiling', 'Mr. Memory', as well as Morecombe's paper bag trick and yes, they even included the most famous line ever, albeit without Andre Previn; but they did play all the right notes...!!
There was also a special guest appearing with them too, and this was the songstress Rebecca Neale. Her first song was, of course, interrupted by, and upstage completely by Messrs M+W as she sang 'Send In The Clowns' and they, dressed in clown suits, blew up balloons behind her. She did sing a song unadulterated in the second half though and helped them out with a couple of their sketches.
And of course, no Morecombe And Wise evening would be complete without their signature song, 'Bring Me Sunshine', which they finaled with dressed in white top hat and tails, and exited with their famous dance move.
These two actors, who also have other non-M+W credits to their CVs, not only spoke and acted like the famous duo, but amazingly also managed to look very similar too, including the respective height ratio between them. It is full credit to the team behind this show to have created a superb recreation of one of the UK's best loved and most endurable comedy partnerships, and I take my hat off to both Ashpitel and Stevens for their dedication in replicating such a nuanced and utterly believable performance.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 22/12/18
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