MORECAMBE. Written by Tim Whitnall. Directed by Alan Swerdlow, with Craig Urbani. Set, lighting and costumes Jannie Swanepoel. Ernie Wise puppet construction Alan Swerdlow. At Theatre on the Bay until June 27. TRACEY SAUNDERS reviews
THE seaside town of Morecambe in the North Western district of England was once a thriving seaside resort and the home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest between 1956 and 1989. It is the career of one of its most famous citizens though, John Eric Bartholomew that the town is better known for.
If the name Bartholomew is not ringing any bells that is because the young Eric changed his name to that of his home town and became Eric Morecambe in 1939. The year that saw him winning a place in the Youth Takes a Bow revue at the Nottingham Empire and meeting Ernie Wise, the man who become his lifelong stage partner, collaborator and friend. The pair’s leap from a provincial stage to the international arena is the stuff of fairy tales and it is this that forms the heart of this feel good evening of comedy, dance and a smidgen of song.
Morecambe is an autobiographical journey through the performer’s life, and while his friend Ernie appears in the form of a puppet, his presence and influence on the entertainer's career and life is a central theme. Scones without cream, crumpets without honey, Laurel without his Hardy are all as unimaginable as Morecambe without Wise.
The comedy duo worked together for decades from the early days of revues to their final Christmas Day television broadcast on ITV in 1983.
While the very British comedy duo of yesteryear may be unfamiliar to many, the talent and comedic energy of Urbani will be recognised by all. He is a star in the role. His slick comic wit and dapper soft shoe shuffle have been admirably honed.
His magical sleight of hand let him down a few times on opening night, but his superb rendition of Morecambe's famous paper bag trick more than made up for it. While the duo were two sparks from the same flint, Urbani manages to set a few fires all on his own, an astonishing feat considering the sheer weight of the pair's history.
Comedy was one of the balms that soothed the British spirit after the Second World War and Morecambe and Wise were two of the primary dispensers. Morecambe had spent the war as a Bevin Boy, working in the coal mines of the North and wasted no time in joining up with Wise again to update their increasingly popular revue. Urbani performs excerpts from the revues and despite the absence of a real life partner he delivers, and receives punchlines without missing a beat.
The comics came from an era where one “only mocked the strong, never the weak” and he has the mannerisms and the slightly genteel wit of Morecambe down pat. His portrayals of audience banter and occasional characters throughout the evening are created with the addition of a hat and a swagger. With a slick transformation of mannerism and dialect he is Eric's mother Sadie and his wife Joan, both roles performed with much hilarity – truly a one man show with a cast of dozens.
No authentic British show would be complete without a football reference and Morecambe's much loved and equally beleaguered team, Luton Town were an integral part of his life. They may not be as well known as Liverpool or Manchester United, but to Morecambe they were a staple in his comic routine. The inclusion of this and other localised idiosyncrasies along with an aged trunk of props enable Swerdlow to convey the spirit of the time with a modern energy that doesn't lag for a second. Even the dark days of Morecambe's heart attacks and the show's spectacular television debut failure are delivered with comic twists.
Early failure is not necessarily an indication of future success as the team's foray into television proved. Morecambe never forgot their first television review given by a critic from The People, which declared, the “Definition of the week: TV set = the box they buried Morecambe and Wise in” in 1954. They returned to the stage and their subsequent appearances on television were spectacularly successful with their memorable 1977 Christmas show attracting 28.4 million viewers.
Urbani reminisces about the heady days of hosting guests such as The Beatles, Shirley Bassey and other unknown stars. A reminder of the forerunners of today’s popular television shows where careers are made and broken. It was his realization that the camera is just another audience member that assisted in their successful transition from stage to screen. It is the essence of his love affair with the “darkroom with lights constructed of memories” that carries the show though. The sheer theatricality and the exuberance of a performance which feeds off the energy of the audience is tangible.
Urbani plays both wide and near, his gaze drawing in each individual member of the audience while playing to the balcony with the magical finesse employed by Morecambe himself. The era of Morecambe and Wise may be long gone, but the magical power of laughter has not diminished. His parting shot that a “laugh is a moment that lasts forever” will follow you out the theatre along with a shoe tapping rhythm that will lift your step and spirit.
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