THEATRE REVIEW: The Play What I Wrote - The Lowry Theatre, Salford.

Is nostalgia a thing of the past? Some say that it is only something that can be viewed through rose-tinted spectacles; however, that clearly was not the case this evening at Salford's Lowry Theatre. Nostalgia was most definitely alive and well, bringing sunshine to not just the generation that remembers but to the generations that are discovering.

It's a very cleverly written and surprisingly fresh look at an age-old format - that of the TV comedy show. At least the style of TV comedy show that used to be churned out seemingly ad infinitum in the golden era of TV. And here, in 'The Play What I Wrote', both Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise are lovingly lampooned as is their TV comedy show. 

Let me make it quite clear though, that this is not a tribute act, nor do the two actors Dennis Herdman or Thom Tuck ever pretend to be the famous comedy duo; although they do come close every now and again; but, as another famous comedian of the same generation would have said, 'it's all in the best ever possible taste!'.

If I had to be critical in any way, I would state that the start of the play is somewhat uninspiring and it did take a rather too long a time for the audience to understand the style and be taken on the journey with the cast. This happened about half-way through the first act for the vast majority of us, which I would say is far too late. However, once we all 'got it' - we were 'with it' all the way, and the laughs flowed freely and continuously. 

The story follows the trials and tribulations of a comedy double-act "Dennis and Thom" and as their audiences fall by the way and their relationship becomes more fraught, Thom decides that the only way to save the two of them is to produce and perform one of his many failed plays, and tries to drum up interest from impressarios and famous actors. Sound familiar? In fact, the whole play was one extended TV comedy show that could easily have starred Morecambe and Wise, and so very nearly did...!

All the other characters in the play are performed by Mitesh Soni as he dons wigs, jackets, accents and even a mini skirt and high heels at one point. As funny as all of this was, I still feel that more comedy (or perhaps a different style of comedy) could have been wrought from this; however the way it was written and directed still was hugely comedic and well performed. 

There were many 'hat nods' to Morecambe and Wise throughout, although you'd have to know your M+W to catch them - they went over the heads of all the under 50s! The two interior sets used were copies of the TV show for example, complete with sliding pictures. 

This play has been around for a good 20 years now, although this revival is the first that this particular reviewer has ever seen it, and it comes heartily recommended. The second act is far superior to the first - and also includes a big surprise!! If you know, you know - otherwise, no spoilers!

Full of silly puns, visual gags, song and dance, and intelligent humour, this is a fast-paced, slick, clever, and a very fitting homage to a lost genre, and a pair of very talented comedians performed by a trio of very talented actors.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 31.1.22