***** The Right Size's show is a sheer, silly delight
This tribute to, but not really an impersonation of, Morecambe & Wise perfectly reproduces their joy: The Right Size have the same gift.
A few years ago The Right Size's last proper West End show, Do You Come Here Often?, established them as solid names in theatrical comedy. If there's any justice, this show will make them outright stars. Hamish McColl, the pop-eyed, pompous one, and Sean Foley, the balding, rubber-limbed one, have exactly the same dynamic as Eric & Ernie: not simply funny man/straight man, but a dynamic relationship where each can trump the other but a deep wamth always lies at the heart of things.
Those who remember Morecambe & Wise's shows in detail will revel in the references to would-be harmonica-player Arthur, the celebrity guests and the just-frequent-enough use of catchphrases, and can try to figure out which bits are Right Size original material and which written by M&W's gag-man Eddie Braben (it's very hard to tell). Long-time Right Size fans will see how well Foley and McColl fit into a show like this, and will be overjoyed that the evening begins with a batch of routines culled from 1994's Stop Calling Me Vernon. Those unfamiliar with either will simply laugh and be immeasurably cheered. By the end I was almost in tears, not of laughter, but of simple joy.
Written for divento.com
Copyright © Ian Shuttleworth; all rights reserved.
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