It’s been a long time since I have been genuinely moved by a piece of entertainment. I think the last time might have been an episode of Chuck last year, maybe Away We Go. Last night I saw the one man show ‘Morecambe’. I had heard really good reviews of it from various comics, and knew that it had sold it’s entire run at Edinburgh last summer. I also knew that it bore the seal of approval from Eric Morecambe’s sons, and I may have made this up, but I think even his widow. I heard Bob Golding, the star, on the radio a few times and he seemed to be genuinely interested in sharing the comedy genius of Morecambe. So I had high hopes.
The show started with an obituary, and then Golding appeared, looking remarkably like Eric. The show itself plays like a flashback over the life of a man who entertained millions of people over 40 years of a career. There is always the risk of it becoming a greatest hits package, an impression of someone doing all their best bits. This show steers away from that by not being an impersonation of EM, but a representation of him. Bob Golding is an actor and not an impressionist. And a marvellous one at that. During the course of the show he plays Morecambe, but also within the same performance does about 15 different characters who pass through the life of Morecambe & Wise. Speaking of Wise, little Ernie is represented by a ventriloquists dummy. Very skilfully done.
It was quite possibly the best thing I have ever seen on a stage. I gave a standing ovation, which I very rarely do, this was the first time I genuinely believed it was deserved. I was in turns, amused, entertained, moved, brought to tears, amused some more and then at the close I was almost distraught. Golding for his part looked visibly moved by the ovation he got, which was mostly standing.
Walking home afterwards I still had a lump in my throat. Bravo, sir.
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