Monday 30th October The Riverside Theatre Woodbridge
Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, Tony or Tub to his friends, first came onto our radios in 1954 and redefined sitcom and modern comedy. The show later transferred to TV, again with great success, but in this stage version three lost shows are re-enacted as if being re-recorded for radio.
It’s a lovely premise which allows for the cast to interact with the audience and really sell the show to us in the theatre. The set feels like a radio studio with a row of chairs, 3 classic radio mics on stands and a sound effects table to one side stuffed full of props, and when the actors arrive they are suitably attired in 1950s suits and dresses giving the whole production a real air of authenticity.
John Hewer is at the heart of the show as Tony Hancock, and gives a masterful impersonation and interpretation of the lad himself, right from that first breathy H in ‘Hhhhhhancock;s Half Hour’ we know this will be true to the original.
If you were to close your eyes you’d think actor Ben Craze was Sid James, so accurate is the voice and Callum Hale made a terrific Bill Kerr, from a time when the part was written with more vim and vigour than later episodes.
Colin Elmer has great fun as Kenneth Williams and nailed all his various characters as well as the man himself claiming ‘it’s a disgrace’! Alice Osmanski plays Andree Melly with superb charm and grace, the cast is completed by Clive Greenwood as the BBC announcer and the man making all the sound effects in a delightful comic turn.
If you’re a fan of classic British comedy then this show is a must and if you’ve never heard of Hancock’s Half Hour before then I urge you to go and revel in an era of classic radio comedy.
The tour continues around the UK with more details on the website here
SUFFOLK THEATRE 