Laurel and Hardy

Synopsis

Trapped between this world and the next, Stan and Ollie pass their time in limbo, reprising old routines, swapping gags, bickering and making up. They will only earn their passage to 'the other side' by undertaking an emotional journey through their screen careers and personal lives... but are they prepared to re-live the bad times as well as the good?

Our Review:

2 July 2009

As comedy double acts go, Laurel and Hardy are right at the top of the tree, and this 1976 play, by Scottish writer Tom McGrath, captures their unique style with all its innocent charm.

We find our heroes in a kind of celestial waiting room after their deaths and, fortunately for us, they decide to pass the time by re-enacting key moments of their lives and some of their most memorable lines and routines. Equally fortunately, the waiting room comes equipped with costumes and stage props, thereby enabling them to impersonate various other characters, such as their producer Hal Roach, Ollie’s wife and mother, Stan’s father and the Scottish impresario who gives Stan his first comedy spot in Glasgow.

It is a tribute to the two performers that despite the multiplicity of accents required, they never lose track of their two central characters. Indeed, they are superb at suggesting all the familiar vocal and physical mannerisms with consummate ease. Simon...

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