Morecambe is a one-man play telling the story of Eric Morecambe who, along with comedy partner Ernie Wise, became one of the biggest stars of British television.

The tale begins with the pre-teen Eric Bartholomew, who already has a taste for the entertainment business, performing for his family and fellow school pupils. His talent is obvious to all who know him and it’s not long until he wins a local talent competition, gets signed up for a variety show, and meets his future straight-man Ernest Wiseman. A couple of name changes later and they become Morecambe and Wise, with a pact to always split every penny they make 50/50 and to never argue over who gets the laughs.

The pair’s route to fame is not all plain sailing with some tough gigs, national service, dodgy career decisions and illness all providing obstacles on the path to greatness. They deal with these hurdles, in particular a memorably disastrous performance at the notorious Glasgow Empire, with aplomb. The couple’s faith in each other, and a belief in themselves, leads to a long career only ended by Eric’s, eventually fatal, heart problems.

Bob Golding plays Eric Morecambe in a tour de force performance worthy of the great man himself. A startling physical similarity to the comedian certainly helps, but the real joy is in his pitch-perfect rendering of Eric Morecambe’s every facial tic and humorous aside. Being the only person in the play, Bob Golding also provides many of the other voices in the performance, most notably that of ‘Little Ern’ who is represented by a ventriloquist dummy. The strength of both the writing, by Tim Whitnall, and the actor’s performance, means that this never seems contrived. In fact, the long conversations carried out between the pair throughout the play are able to carry real emotional resonance despite the obvious difficulties of only having one person on stage. Eric Morecambe’s private life is alluded to in passing - he had a happy marriage with three children – but the real love story presented is that between the two performers. This is most sweetly illustrated when Eric is in hospital after the first of his heart attacks and Ernie continues to send him half the money he’s making from solo appearances.

Ultimately the story, as it must, ends in death - but this is not handled in a sorrowful way. Instead, a quick change into a saintly white outfit signs the way to an uplifting and amusing grand finale, with only the hint of sadness at the end of what was clearly a wonderful life. Bowing out with a smile is probably what Eric Morecambe would have wanted.

The set design is simple but effective, with just a chair, table, trunk of clothes and a chaise longue . This allows all the attention to be focussed on the faultless performance of the actor, with all costume changes being made on set.

The writing cleverly weaves together the comedian’s story with a greatest hits of all of the duo’s greatest, and best known, moments. The direction, by Guy Masterson, is again simple, allowing the action to zip along with a minimum of fuss.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Bob Golding – Eric Morecambe.

Company Credits: Writer – Tim Whitnall. Director – Guy Masterson. Producers – Guy Masterson and Anna Murphy. Production Co-ordinator – Rebecca Vaughan. Musical Supervisor – James Compton. Musicians – Martin Shaw and Julian Webster. Set and Costume Design – Julia Bunce. Print Design – Alan Reini. Legal Clearances – Lindsay Dawson. Music Clearances – Kate Griffiths. Company – Theatre Tours International – Guy Masterson and Feather Productions.

END

(c) David Hepburn 2009

reviewed Saturday 29 August 09 / Assembly Hall, Edinburgh, UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com