Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - Eric and Ern is fizzing with something for everyone - a show you simply have to see!

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We went to Lowry in Salford to see Eric and Ern. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this superb show...

Eric & Ern is one of those rare shows where you go in thinking one thing and leave thinking another. I first saw Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens as our beloved Eric & Ern in 2021 and remember thinking I was going to watch an impersonation show of my all-time favourite comic duo. I was wrong. What I actually watched was an embodiment of Morecombe & Wise, a rising phoenix from the ashes love letter to their genius and their memory. It messes with your mind because you know you cannot possibly be watching the actual Morecombe & Wise live on stage right in front of you, yet there they are, every inch the duo that are still fiercely loved by millions today. It is quite an emotional experience actually, to bare witness to such a detailed, respectful, and beautiful recreation of these iconic, legendary comedians, who have aways filled my world with love, laughter, and sunshine. They feel like home. And for Ashpitel & Stephens to evoke that same feeling in me, speaks volumes as to their authenticity and command.

From the moment you enter the Quays Theatre at Lowry, you find yourself giggling, immediately transported into a world so familiar to any Morecombe & Wise fan for we are greeted with the big curtain emblazoned with the M and W, used as a backdrop in so many scenes before they presented (or in the case of Des O’ Connor, hid) a guest! We also see their famous lounge, bedroom before bouncing straight into one of their songs, performed many times by this duo – and with a bit of ‘Positive Thinking’, we are off! With West End guest star Olivia Fines joining them to sing the likes of ‘Tea For Two’ or ‘Send In The Clowns’ there is certainly plenty of musical numbers for us to sink our teeth into. They are even joined on stage by a member of the audience to mix a bit of Elvis with some their famous ‘Boom-oo-yata-ta-ta!’

The show itself is a glorious mixture of all things Morecombe & Wise. With both halves running at around an hour, we are treated to a heady cocktail of their most famous, best loved sketches and running gags. You will revel as we watch Ern in his creative flow, you will belly laugh at the bedroom scenes where Eric plays out the ice-cream van joke to perfection (the punch line of which was so highly anticipated by this adoring audience that some even joined in!), and you will rejoice as it blends into their brilliant ‘dressing-gown’ stripper music routine. Eric & Ern is jam packed with everything you could wish for as a fan, big sketches mingled alongside running gags and the small detailed, yet profoundly funny mannerisms that fuse together to make this duo so unique and untouchable. Des O’ Connor is the butt of many a joke as you’d expect, the paper bag gag elbows its way in, as does Mr. Memory, the ventriloquist, Morecombe attempting Hamlet, a glimpse of ‘A – You’re Adorable,’ and the clap and slap routines all jostling around with the long running jokes about Ernie’s wig and short fat hairy legs! Equally fused with plentiful moments of their back and forth banter, Eric & Ern leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the multitude of comedic salutes to this iconic duo. It is a sumptuous buffet of treats and believe me, you will go home extremely well fed and satisfied.

The interval was used as the perfect opportunity to tease the excitable audience with anticipation, as a piano was placed on the stage. That was it. Yet every fan knew what it meant and became giddy at the thought of what lay ahead. For a piano in an Eric & Ern show can surely mean only one thing – the André Previn sketch! Arguably one of their most famous sketches ever! I was even in a restaurant in Blackpool last weekend and they had a huge black and white photograph hung up of this sketch! It is insane to watch this unfold and realise just how influential the punch line of this sketch has been! The audience were howling with laughter in the pause that announced its arrival, and it hadn’t even been said yet! It is a remarkable sensation to experience and one I cannot easily put into words. And it goes to show that both Morecombe & Wise and Ashpitel and Stephens most definitely do hit all the right notes in exactly the right order! With no actual André Previn or orchestra, even the slight shift in the roles didn’t minimise the impact of this sketch, and to find ourselves in the thick of it, thoroughly immersed as the orchestra and being conducted by Ernie, was a fabulous twist that made us all feel a part of arguably the biggest comedy sketch ever written.

Eric & Ern were also known for their love of music, an echo of their early careers in the music halls, and it became an integral part of their shows. They are now synonymous with songs such as ‘Following You Around,’ and of course, their crowning glory, ‘Bring Me Sunshine,’ both of which we were able to rejoice in, evoking warmth, nostalgia, and that sense of home they personally bring me. This finale, danced out in the only way possible, was echoed throughout Lowry, sending audiences back into the real world full of happiness, joy, and sunshine. This show is a labour of love. Even the story of Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens becoming firm friends way back in 1983 at drama school echoes a lifelong friendship of their heroes. Jonty Stephens had always been a mega fan and had previously performed as Eric Morecombe, but in 2002, he was asked to do a small sketch as Morecombe but this time, with Wise, so he turned to his long-time friend. Ian Ashpitel appeared alongside him as Ernie Wise, and as fate intervened, giving their talent a push in the right direction, they found themselves in a sell out run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013. A certain Gary Morecombe happened to see the show, and with the support of the Morecombe family, a sell out West End run, Olivier Award nominations and a national tour followed, ensuring the wonderful world of Morecombe & Wise is still celebrated today, keeping them fresh, alive, and available to a whole new generation.

Both Jonty Stephens as Eric Morecombe and Ian Ashpitel as Ernie Wise are phenomenal. As performers, they are slick, charming, charismatic, and naturally funny. As their heroes, they are exceptional, nuanced, attentive to the tiniest of details, and celebratory. All the mannerisms are there, the small twitch of Morecombe as he thinks over his next move, the nodding claps accompanied by beaming smile of Wise as he introduces someone or praises himself, the genius of stressing random key words, the way they use pause, and the humour of speaking a thousand thoughts in those intermittent silences between punch lines. The way they have moulded their own voices to the intricacies of Eric & Ern is quite spectacular and I promise you would be forgiven in allowing yourself to believe that Elvis is not the only one back in the building!

It was a joy to watch Eric & Ern back in 2021, but to be gifted the opportunity to watch it again, especially in the centenary year of Morecombe & Wise, felt like an honour and a privilege. Like many, I was brought up on the likes of Morecombe & Wise, a gift passed down by my parents own love of them, and so it goes on. This is universal humour at its best, appropriate for people of all ages, bringing them together through the joy of laughter. With a glorious mix of jokes, physical comedy, word play, gags, scenes, sketches, songs, slapstick, silliness, and malapropisms, Eric & Ern is fizzing with something for everyone. So whether you are a fan indulging in the beauty and nostalgia of reliving your favourite moments from this iconic duo or are new to their wonderful brand of humour and comedy, one thing is for sure, you will love it. During the show, Morecombe asks us that brilliant joke question, so famously associated with them – “What do you think of the show so far?” And as diehard fans, we of course reply “Rubbish!” And of course, they dared ask that question because they knew it was anything BUT rubbish, and the same is true of Ashpitel & Stephens. They have definitely brought the sunshine, and me, like many fans, “Get their kicks, following you around!” (bum, ba da ba da bum!)