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Show: THE PLAY WHAT I WROTE
Society: Chichester Festival Theatre (professional)
Venue: Chichester Festival Theatre. Oaklands Way, Chichester PO19 6AP
Credits: By Hamish McColl and Sean Foley and Eddie Braben. Produced by David Pugh and Theatre Royal Bath Productions in association with Birmingham Rep
Type: Sardines
Author: Bradley Barlow
Performance Date: 08/02/2022
The Play What I Wrote
Bradley Barlow | 09 Feb 2022 20:54pm
All photos: MANUEL HARLAN
I’m so torn while writing this review – much of what you see in the show relies on not having surprises spoiled for you or gags to be given away so, instead, I’ll simply start with this: The Play What I Wrote is hilariously brilliant and a show not to be missed.
Much of the publicity around the play centres on the fact it is a tribute to legendary comedic double act Morecambe and Wise but this is a bit of a misnomer. The spirit and humour of Morecambe and Wise is there, even some direct references too, but it’s more of an homage than a direct replica.
Dennis and Thom are a struggling double act – Dennis being the ‘funny one’ to Thom’s straight man, who is also a struggling (bad) writer. Thom wants them to stage his new play but Dennis has signed a contract to put on a Morecambe and Wise tribute, tricking Thom into thinking they’ve booked a big name guest star for his play.
The jokes come thick and fast – visual gags, puns, one liners – look away for a moment and you may just miss something, it’s jampacked fun from start to finish. Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and longtime Morecambe and Wise writer Eddie Braben have crafted a masterpiece of a script, with Foley directing this brilliant revised tour. Alice Power deserves special recognition too for creating designs that tip a hat to Morecambe and Wise – sometimes directly playing up to their original sketches, at other times creating something original.
But the entire play rests on the physicality and sharpness of its cast. Dennis Herdman and Thom Tuck have captured something magnificent in their performances, daft and madcap and quickwitted too, they have the audience in the palm of their hands throughout their time on stage.
You’d be forgiven for thinking the play is a two-hander but in fact, it contains a cast of four. Mitesh Soni is the other regular cast member as Arthur, a friend of Dennis playing a big part in Thom’s deception, who tricks him into thinking he’s a range of different characters. Soni commands the stage just as much as the main duo and deserves his share of the limelight.
But what of the mysterious fourth cast member? Much like the Morecambe and Wise Christmas specials, the cast is joined each night by a special guest star. I shan’t spoil the surprise here but my jaw dropped when a genuine A-list Hollywood star graced the stage in Chichester, gamely playing along with the rest of the cast and looking like he was having a whale of a time too.
And he was in good company – the audience had a ball, constantly laughing and applauding along, and I left Chichester Festival Theatre with my jaw aching from smiling from start to finish.
If you get the chance to see this masterpiece of a show then take it – you’re in for a wonderful treat.