Laurel and Hardy at Lyceum Theatre 4 Stars

 

An affectionate and side-splittingly funny telling of the Laurel and Hardy story. How do you tell the story of such iconic comedians? You learn from them and slow the slapstick of their peers down. From their genesis in vaudeville, through their heyday and their survival with the arrival of the talkies, to their demise from the limelight. The story is mainly told as the comedians look back from the end of their careers.

The current run seems Barnaby Power and Steven McNicoll reprise their roles from 2005. After almost twenty years, the actors are nearer the ages of the iconic characters they portray. This adds an extra layer of depth to the process of looking back at their lives, loves, and friendship. Their ability to inhabit the characters is uncanny.

Plenty of visual and verbal gags keep the audience constantly chortling. And fans of slapstick can tick them off from the films. The wallpaper hanging sketch is lovingly recreated with perfect timing and beautiful dance between the pair. For one scene, strobe lighting is used to recreate a silent film. On stage, these are perfect single takes of what would have been honed on set and perfected with editing in the originals. These vignettes on the same set provide a dream-like quality fitting for a story told in reminiscences.

The set is a very effective monochrome with the black and white palette that these two colourful characters worked within. The sound effects are added by the effective musical director and pianist Jon Beales. He also provides some wonderful deadpan moments. The jokes may be a century old, but the audience loved every minute.

Everything is right before the audience’s eyes. Still, this production manages to puncture the infectious slapstick and humour with moments of sadness and poignancy.

Well, here’s another nice play you’ve got me into!

By Minnie Minx and Gnasher

photos by Alan McCredie

Laurel & Hardy opens 3-25 June 2022 Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh,