“… a rollercoaster evening of laughs and life lessons learned” – Laurel and Hardy Director’s blog

31 May 2013

Whenever I’ve mentioned this project, I’ve been so struck by the feelings of great affection that Laurel and Hardy still arouse in people even now, almost half a century after Stan Laurel’s death. Their appeal spans the generations and seems to tap into people’s memories of their childhoods, of sharing laughter with their parents and grandparents. During the course of the show over forty characters are conjured up by the 2 actors – all people who played a part in the boys’ story- including some of the many women in their lives, the studio executives and theatre managers. Their touching personal stories are all deftly woven together to make a moving and textured theatrical narrative that covers over 70 years of American and British life, the vaudeville circuit, early cinema and the birth of sound.  It charts the years when the famous duo were in favour the world over, as well as the tougher times when fashions and tastes changed.

In Paul Bigley and Gavin Spokes, we’ve got two brilliant actors who can handle the clowning and occasional sadness. Richard Sisson, who composed the score for The History Boys (NT and Broadway), has written some fantastic original music which will be performed live. It is a gorgeous mixture of standards of the era and also involves arrangements of classic Laurel and Hardy hits such as Shine on Harvest Moon and their Cuckoo theme.

Laurel and Hardy’s matchless wordplay and double takes are all in evidence with some famous scenes recreated in front of the audience. As expected, one or two of them see the duo come to grief with ladders and wallpaper paste! The routines are recreated and new ones invented by rising star choreographer Drew McOnie, who has been tipped as the next big thing in musical theatre choreography by Stephen Mear and Matthew Bourne.

All in all, Laurel and Hardy will be a rollercoaster evening of laughs and life lessons learned.

Paul Foster, Director