Previews & Reviews
The latest news and reviews from the theatre.
Read what our Daily Echo reviewers have to write and leave your comment by clicking here
Laurel and Hardy - The Haymarket, Basingstoke
THE story goes that as their liner pulled away from Cobh, Ireland, after their final show on their last European tour, the churches rang out their theme song, a unique homage that brought tears to the eyes of the essentially modest stars.
Their contrasting personality, general clumsiness and disaster packed predicaments meant they were universally popular.
By way of introduction, studio boss Hal Roch announced that he presented Laurel and Hardy for your entertainment and approval'.
Much could be said of this show which sought to reveal the persona that lay underneath their trademark bowlers with the performers looking at their film and stage achievements and personal lives in a beyond-the-grave reprise.
Their comedy was simple, though simple is not easy to do. The gag may be obvious, the timing makes it funny or embarrassing.
Ben Fox as Laurel and Christian Patterson as Hardy caught their mannerisms perfectly, but this show worked best when they did not indulge in slapstick humour but simply told the story of the pair's 20 years of comic genius, together and individually.
Every production had Hardy lamenting: That's another fine mess you got me into.' This two hour tribute wasn't.
Laurel and Hardy runs at the Haymarket, Basingstoke, until Saturday.
11:25am Thursday 8th May 2008
Print 
Email this 
Comment
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
