Kings Theatre, Glasgow
1 star
What decade, no, what century is this? Because, unless there’s been some kind of time-slip back to some prehistoric era when comedy was founded on cheap, nasty stereotypes, there’s really no excuse for veteran producer Paul Elliot’s woeful extended sit-com. Unless, of course, you’re a fan of pseudo post-modern gags such as casting a veritable smorgasbord of past-their-sell-by-date TV favourites as – and get this – a bunch of equally redundant thesps thrown together to see out their punchlines entertaining each other in an actors rest home. Add on a spurious plot involving the kidnap of shamed ex Tory MP Jeffrey Archer, and, like Ann Widdecombe reduced to advertising pasta, low-brow isn’t really strong enough a description of what follows.
Originally written for Danny La Rue and the late John Inman, Elliot seems to be aspiring to Ealing-style throwbacks such as The Ladykillers, a brilliant piece of very serious fun. What he’s ended up with is a glorified vanity project in-joke that’s anachronistic to the point of offensiveness.
Naming the guilty in Chris Colby’s not brisk enough by far production, Don MacLean, Gordon Kaye, Brian Cant, Ken Morley and others really should know better. Of course, any theatrical venture trumpeting programme notes with a special thanks ‘to Lord Archer for being such a good sport’ and subsequently depicting the raging egotist as a kind of chirpy capitalist Robin Hood figure is seriously suspect from the off. But if this is end of the pier entertainment, one can only hope all involved are shoved off sharpish. Only then will their blushes be spared for ever getting involved in such reactionary low-rent tosh.
The Herald, October 11th 2007
ends
1 star
What decade, no, what century is this? Because, unless there’s been some kind of time-slip back to some prehistoric era when comedy was founded on cheap, nasty stereotypes, there’s really no excuse for veteran producer Paul Elliot’s woeful extended sit-com. Unless, of course, you’re a fan of pseudo post-modern gags such as casting a veritable smorgasbord of past-their-sell-by-date TV favourites as – and get this – a bunch of equally redundant thesps thrown together to see out their punchlines entertaining each other in an actors rest home. Add on a spurious plot involving the kidnap of shamed ex Tory MP Jeffrey Archer, and, like Ann Widdecombe reduced to advertising pasta, low-brow isn’t really strong enough a description of what follows.
Originally written for Danny La Rue and the late John Inman, Elliot seems to be aspiring to Ealing-style throwbacks such as The Ladykillers, a brilliant piece of very serious fun. What he’s ended up with is a glorified vanity project in-joke that’s anachronistic to the point of offensiveness.
Naming the guilty in Chris Colby’s not brisk enough by far production, Don MacLean, Gordon Kaye, Brian Cant, Ken Morley and others really should know better. Of course, any theatrical venture trumpeting programme notes with a special thanks ‘to Lord Archer for being such a good sport’ and subsequently depicting the raging egotist as a kind of chirpy capitalist Robin Hood figure is seriously suspect from the off. But if this is end of the pier entertainment, one can only hope all involved are shoved off sharpish. Only then will their blushes be spared for ever getting involved in such reactionary low-rent tosh.
The Herald, October 11th 2007
ends
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