For many, mince pies and tinsel go hand in hand with Morecambe And Wise, so theatre fans are in for a treat at the Vaudeville theatre this festive season as Eric And Little Ern transfers following an autumn tour.
The show, a critically-acclaimed hit at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, mixes the entertainment legends’ guffaw-inducing sketches with new material devised by the company as it explores the relationship that made the irresistible double act of the UK’s most loved comedy teams.
Starring Ian Ashpitel (Kursk, Young Vic) and Jonty Stephens (Coriolanus, Royal Shakespeare Company), the show was given permission to use a selection of Eddie Braben’s favourite moments just weeks before the writer, who created some of Morecambe and Wise’s most loved routines and helped mould the pairing, died earlier this year.
During its run at Edinburgh this summer, when it collected a clutch of four star reviews, it was described by the Daily Telegraph as “Spot on” and by comedy website Chortle as “Brilliantly acted and incredibly moving”.
Eric And Little Ern arrives at the Vaudeville theatre on 19 November, following another hit comedy, Graham Linehan’s stage adaptation of The Ladykillers, into the venue. Over the Christmas period it will play alongside Olivier Award nominated family production Potted Panto, which returns to London from 8 December.