REVIEW: Another fine performance from the kings of comedy . .
THE impressive set with the elevator doors situated centre stage and footlights transformed the Brian Duguid auditorium into something straight out of the Laurel & Hardy Hollywood of the thirties.
So what better way for Ollie to make his entrance than through the opening elevator doors to a burst of enthusiastic applause from an audience who could instantly recognise the familiar signature tune.
Exquisitely researched and written by Tom McGrath, the play called upon the two actors portraying Laurel & Hardy to don quick change props and play some of the people who had been instrumental in their respective lives.
And whilst paying homage to the intelligence of the audience by admitting the characters were actually dead, they went on to create their respective life stories playing wives, Hal Roach – the famous producer, and even eccentric Glasgow theatre owner of the thirties, A E Pickard.
If you were hoping to see some of the famous much-loved Laurel & Hardy antics, you were not disappointed. Especially when Stan made his entrance via the same elevator which appeared to be stuck between floors.
McGrath's script revealed an insight into the private lives of the two comedians.
For instance, it was not widely publicised that both had enjoyed or suffered a series of marriages and that Ollie, the larger one died of an accumulation of illnesses due to his weight.
Or that after Ollie's death, Stan continued to write scripts for such illustrious people as Tony Hancock and Jerry Lewis.
But what of the two mega-talented actors who not only looked like Laurel & Hardy, they actually became the characters, even singing their hit song Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in perfect harmony and dancing the original choreographed steps.
Their names? Well, Ollie was Barrie Hunter and Stan, Alasdair McCrone, and if Mull Theatre, which staged the play, have not already received a special Oscar for this precious jewel of a production then there is no justice.
Memorable lines like "If anyone turns up to my funeral with a long face I'll never speak to them again" as uttered with a straight face by Stan have transcended time and are still as fresh today as they were in days gone by.
McCrone is also listed as being the director of the show, an additional facet to this versatile actor who shared equal honours with Barrie Hunter.
Superb sound and music by Martin Low and George Tarbuck's lighting design all contributed to an evening when nostalgia and laughter ruled.
Fittingly, the play ends with the two characters walking back into the elevator and disappearing into the mists of time.
Thanks to Mull Theatre the memory of Laurel & Hardy has been honoured and introduced to a new generation which otherwise might have missed out on what is was like to live in an age of innocence and two unlikely characters could make audiences forget their troubles.
As Ollie put it: "My job is to make people laugh." What better epitaph for a man who, with his side kick Stan, succeeded. And then some.
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Monday 21 May 2012
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