Review of The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel is perhaps the perfect antidote to the troubled times we are in, harking back to when things were perhaps simpler and mass media and the press were less in your face. Not to say that bigshot Charlie Chaplin didn't make a name for himself in more than just the movies he made. This though is a warm show, filled with love.

This show is based on the very real tale of the 1910 ship heading course for New York, which aboard were Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, unknown, but part of Fred Karno’s music hall troupe, and destined for different, but very major futures.

Told by an Idiot's production with Theatre Royal Plymouth (and Royal & Derngate and Unity Theatre) breaks down the tale of the voyage of the SS Cairnrona with intriguingly created flashbacks of the life, generally of Charlie Chaplin. Therefore along the course of the voyage, we see Laurel's moment as understudy to Chaplin, the birth of Chaplin (brilliantly realised) and his dad, a hilarious moment played by Nick Haverson. It all creates a magnificent potpourri of happenings, presented virtually all in the classic silent film style.

The performers themselves are quite brilliant, capturing the style of movement and delivery of each of their characters. Haverson especially mastering the movement of the choppiness of the mid-twenties frames per second vintage.

Amalia Vitale is very much the essence of Chaplin, perfecting his walk and cane swivelling technics and through virtually no dialogue captivates and entrances as the tale unfolds. Jerone Marsh-Reid equally gets the mannerisms of the legend that is Stan Laurel, representing his dumb look brilliantly. He also has an excellent turn as well as the Bell Boy.

Perhaps although he isn't given either of the main two lead characters, Haverson becomes quite a scene-stealer in all of his moments, from the aforementioned brilliant dad, onto the very Hollywood like Fred Karno, and an amazingly funny cameo at Charlie's Butler. He doesn't, as a result, disappoint at his depiction either of Oliver Hardy himself and his playfulness with the audience during the golf moment is quite brilliant.

Completing the quartet of performers is Sara Alexander who does very briefly feature as Charlie's mother, but mainly shows quite brilliant skill performing Zoe Rahman's perfectly judged score on the piano.

There is some brilliant invention in this show which doesn't shy from interacting with its audience either, including two brief moments of members of it on stage. Nothing to fear though if you are worried, it is gentle playfulness.

The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel is a gorgeous piece of theatre, stunningly performed with incredible physicality from the performers. Paul Hunter's writing and direction are pinpoint in its desire to maintain period, yet it offers something new and refreshing for the stage and is a clear love letter to a classic time of the film industry.

Warm, loving, funny and fresh.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Wednesday 11th March 2020 at the Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton.

The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel runs at Royal & Derngate until Saturday 21st March 2020

For further details about the Royal & Derngate see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: Manuel Harlan

Review of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Birmingham Rep

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street first appeared in this musical form in 1979. Adapted from an original play by Christopher Bond, the work was set to music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, with a book by Hugh Wheeler. It quickly became a huge success, opening on both Broadway and the West End within a year. Following Tony and Olivier wins, the show has seen revival after revival over the years, as well as a musical film starring Johnny Depp. Now, Birmingham Rep presents its own pared-back version of the show, featuring some big stars of the theatre world. So, the question is, is Sweeney Todd as razor-sharp as it once was? What is clear to all at the outset is that director Joe Murphy, also artistic director at Birmingham Rep, has assembled a remarkable and bold cast for the show. Leading as Sweeney is Ramin Karimloo, whose bio speaks for itself and is the biggest draw for this show, especially for theatres outside London. His Sweeney is a perfectly brooding affair, broken...

Review of The House She Built at The Black Diamond, Northampton

Independent theatre company Nerve Theatre was founded in January 2025, when its first original production, Broken Party , took to the stage at Benn Hall in Rugby. That was followed the same year by a modern retelling of Frankenstein . Now, for 2026, Nerve Theatre founder Mia Ballard has written and directed The House She Built , staged for three nights at The Black Diamond, Northampton. The House She Built , set in 1950s Hollywood, is a dark thriller influenced by the lives of Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn and their treatment as women within the cogs of Hollywood. Our leading lady here is Nancy Carlton, who returns to Mellor Brothers Productions to make one final film. But something awaits her, and the scene is set for a period thriller that explores the grimy world behind Hollywood's apparently glamorous days. Michaela Clement-Hayes leads the cast as Nancy Carlton, the star troubled by her past, but returning to her old studio for that final mov...

Review of The Play That Goes Wrong at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

It is scary to contemplate that it is almost four years since I first saw Mischief Theatre's The Play That Goes Wrong . It is no secret that on that night I enjoyed it quite a bit (and ended up on stage, but that is another story). I returned the next evening to watch it again and then stalked it down to London later that same year, which over three years later it continues its remarkable West End success story. Since my last encounter with this original, I have seen Chris Bean's ramshackle Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society create chaos on stage and television with Peter Pan Goes Wrong , mess-up Dickens' A Christmas Carol and even gatecrash BBC Radio at Christmas. This fourth encounter with the original The Play That Goes Wrong though, offers the opportunity to see it in the hands of a different cast for the first time. How can pretenders of the original creators shape up in this anarchic disaster of a play? Actually, as it turns out remarkably well. It is true that ...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog