'Morecambe': theatre review

This Tuesday I had the pleasure of being invited to the opening night of the critically acclaimed one-man play, Morecambe. Invited, I say, because I am on the arts review team for a Warwick University radio show, Up Your Arts, which is given complimentary tickets for many local theatre productions (to sweeten us up for their reviews, no doubt). Pleasure, I say, because it was fantastic.


Bob Golding stars in this one-man show telling the life story of one half of the comedy legend duo, Morecambe and Wise. My apprehension at seeing my first one-man show and my awareness of how easily it could be terrible was completely forgotten within seconds. Full of energy and captivating from the off, Golding took the to the stage, alone, for an entire two hours to reincarnate Eric Morecambe.

What a talent.

Starting with a news broadcast announcing the death of Eric Morecambe, the show rewinds in time to his young school life as Eric Bartholomew, and Tim Whitnall's fantastically written script combines with Guy Masterson's expert direction to take the audience on a biographical journey witnessing Morecambe's first 5-minute gig, the moment he met best friend and life-long business partner Ernie Wise, their years of low-paid gigs, marriages, children, illnesses, losses and gains, right through to their multiple-award-winning and internationally famous comedy act on their own BBC television show.


What pressure - the weight of the show on your shoulders. A theatre full of fans critically peering at you, waiting for you to bring their idol to life before their eyes, waiting to be entertained by you alone.

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But speaking a mile a minute directly to his audience, Golding doesn't allow your attention to wander for a moment. Dipping in and out of role-playing the various characters of Morecambe's life - his parents, his teachers, his agents - Golding single-handedly paints a vivid and hilarious picture of his study's many interactions and influences, each having their part to play in his path to the top.


His most crucial role to play though, Eric Morecambe himself, puts me in danger of becoming too repetitive because, again, it was spot on. This performance wasn't just an accomplished impression, it captured the very essence of the quick-witted star. Capturing the walk, talk, posture, signature mannerisms, and even the way he adjusts those thick-rimmed glasses, Golding managed to pay great homage to a national, and his personal, idol.

A laugh a minute and an amazing atmosphere, the audience were collectively delivering some of the finishing lines of the more famous gags (the invisible ball and paper bag being a favourite of mine that my own dad performed for me as a child). Golding's final bow in the iconic white tux and top hat was met with a sea of smiles and tears full of nostalgia and thoughts of a decency no longer commonplace - "We only ever mock the strong, never the weak", he repeats.


I have not seen much footage of the comedy duo, only glimpses of Christmas specials, tribute shows, and odd sketches, but watching this production made me want to come home immediately and watch as much as I could. It incited an interest and adoration for Eric Morecambe that was previously a mere recognition of 'old-fashioned comedy'. The gags are certainly not outdated, and the youth and energy of Golding pulls the witty play-on-words comedy right up to the 21st century which is now so full of crudities, situational comedy, and mockery. Although the audience was primarily made of the middle-aged and elderly, the play was made so widely accessible that I feel as though I know who Morecambe and Wise really were as people and now understand what they meant to their audiences - my parents and grandparents. Can I be nostalgic about a time a never lived in? If I can then that is certainly the effect this play had on me.


Morecambe was one of the best theatre productions I have seen in a long time. Fantastic scripting, creative directing, and impeccably performed. If all one-man shows are as captivating and moving as this then I will have to see more of them, though I fear I may be disappointed. The three-man team clearly worked close to their hearts to create this tribute, delivering a vastly entertaining and colourful insight into the life of an incredibly talented and heart-warming man.


Golding says, "I am certainly not as funny as Eric, and I'm not an impersonator, but as an actor I may be able to tell the story about the man who had that gift, and if by telling it I manage to capture a tiny piece of the spirit of Eric Morecambe then I think we've achieved something."

Visit the official website to watch the trailer, and for details on the tour and where you can see the show.

Listen to my radio review of Morecambe broadcasting live on Radio Warwick this Tuesday 26th, 4pm-6pm, locally on 12.51AM radio, or online from the RaW website