Tag Archives: Jack Lane

Dad’s Army Radio Hour – 3.5 stars

Army

Dad’s Army Radio Hour

Live at Zedel

Reviewed – 4th January 2018

β˜…β˜…β˜…Β½

“The impersonations are utterly uncanny”

 

Dad’s Army Radio Hour begins with a cod-BBC radio announcement, introducing the first episode of the evening. This sets the tone for the evening; David BensonΒ  (Boris World King) and Jack Lane perform three radio adaptations of classic Dad’s Army scripts. As radio plays, the performance itself is a stripped-back affair, featuring no props or set pieces, and relying purely on the script and impersonations to engage the audience.

The impersonations are utterly uncanny. Lane in particular, already well known for the critically acclaimed Wisdom of a Fool, not only nails the voices, but observes the facial characteristics of the original characters with stunning accuracy. His imitation of Arthur Lowe’s Captain Mainwaring perfectly captures the toadlike double chin and swirling-eyed incredulity, and in the next instant transforms into the blithering Jones. Unfortunately, while Lane’s switching between distinctive characters is faultless, some of Benson’s sections, in which he voices multiple similar-sounding characters, can become muddled.

The episodic sitcom presentation of the show is handled perfectly. While other theatrical performances make use of lighting effects and set changes to establish scene changes, Dad’s Army Radio Hour achieves this purely through audio; by moving toward and further from the microphone, Lane (in particular) creates the effect of fading in and fading from a scene. However skilful, it sometimes feels as though Dad’s Army Radio Hour’s obedience to the conventions of radio plays is a hindrance rather than a help. More than one episode relies on visuals and slapstick, which naturally do not translate brilliantly to a purely vocal performance. These moments in particular feel like missed opportunities for laughs, where otherwise the audience reacts to jokes mostly with appreciative chuckles rather than uproar.

Benson and Lane are tight performers and have no intention of going off-script. This is a shame, because during one ad-libbed line-flub, the pair reveal themselves to be charismatic performers rather than persuasive facsimiles – and get the biggest laugh of the evening. At no point does Dad’s Army Radio Hour intentionally go beyond its self-appointed remit. While a skilful and charming production in its own right, this is Dad’s Army for purists at all costs; it’s an affectionate and accurate recreation of a fifty year-old sitcom with nothing added and very little taken away.

 

Reviewed by Matthew Wild

 

Live link

Dad’s Army Radio Hour

Live at Zedel until 21st January

 

 

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

 

 

Wisdom of a Fool

Wisdom of a Fool

 

March 8th – 11thΒ 

LOST Theatre

Norman Wisdom dominated British film and theatre during the 1950s, playing to packed audiences across the country. For more than six decades Norman’s warmth and boundless energy won the hearts of millions. His cloth cap, ill-fitting suit and classic underdog character led Charlie Chaplin to describe him as his β€˜favourite clown’. Norman Wisdom now returns to the stage in Jack Lane’s acclaimed emotional roller-coaster one-man play, now on UK tour in 2016-7.

In Wisdom of a Fool, Jack Lane takes you behind Norman Wisdom’s well-known character to reveal a tough and lonely childhood. After joining the Army, Wisdom discovers a passion for comedy; and the world of post-war Music Hall and Variety embraces Norman’s manic slapstick routine, catapulting him to stardom in the early 1950s. Success on the silver screen, including the hit song, β€˜Don’t Laugh at Me’, seals his fame. But fame comes at a price… Jack plays 30 characters throughout this tour de force performance. The Gump costume that features in the play belonged to Norman and has been generously loaned to the production by his son and daughter, Nicholas and Jacqueline Wisdom.

LOST Theatre are also proud to present, with the BFI, a long-thought β€œlost” episode of Norman Wisdom’s variety show before the Saturday matinee of Wisdom of a Fool, introduced by Richard Dacre and followed by a Q and A with Dacre and Jack Lane.

In 2010, Jack Lane founded Engine Shed Theatre Company and went on to adapt three episodes and two Christmas specials of the classic BBC sitcom Steptoe and Son, which met with approval from the original writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Jack took the role of Albert Steptoe whilst producing and designing the productions.

 


Listing

 

Wisdom of a Fool

byΒ  Jack Lane

 

March 8th 2017 – March 11th 2017

Wednesday – Saturday, 7.30pm

matinee Saturday at 3pm

 

Β 208 Wandsworth Road, London, SW8 2JU

Tickets Β£20

 

losttheatre.co.uk

020 7720 6897