Morning:
14°c
Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Bruce Dessau's rating
Reader rating
Website: www.elsachapman.com
Email: info@elsachapman.com
Look who's back: Reeves and Mortimer join the Nineties comeback trend
Take That, The Spice Girls and Boyzone have come back, so maybe the time is right for Nineties comedians to do the resurrection shuffle. Not that Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer split up, it is just that Vic tends to appear on the box with his wife Nancy these days rather than with his fellow purveyor of fine northern surrealism.
It was certainly good to see the duo reunited to host this BBC showcase, not to mention gratifying to see Bob in a pair of fluffy ankle boots while Vic briefly sported a fake hand. From the moment they lurched on stage the absurdist rapport that made them household names was still there, even if it was sometimes muffled by bad acoustics and limp material.
The better skits revolved around their well-honed name-dropping habit. Bob told a risqué story about Fiona Bruce while Vic dug a hole with a stuffed duck behind him. A Russell Brand reference deserved a bigger laugh but a Dragons’ Den spoof was frankly feeble. Things only truly ignited, however, with the revival of warped folkies Mulligan and O’Hare and their haunting ballad about betrayal by the man from Allied Carpets.
As for the guests, Steve Oram tastelessly impersonated a demented tramp, the impish Rob Rouse brilliantly recalled his dog jumping into his wife’s birthing pool, Alice Lowe played a delightfully sleazy Slavic songstress, magician Ali Cook did some eye-wateringly old tricks and the consistently comical Stephen K Amos closed with a winning set but then this critic cannot remember seeing Amos have a losing set.
Comedy has moved on since Vic and Bob’s heyday. But if they gigged together more often and got match fit, there is no reason why they cannot be sharp-shooting stars again. Chemistry like theirs cannot be created in a lab.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reeves and Mortimer are my absolute heroes. I was obsessed with them in the 90's and a recent re-viewing of most of their stuff has re-kindled my obsession. And I'm proud of it. They are even funnier for the fact that some people just don't get it. It's like with The Simpsons - I can pretty much judge whether I'm going to get on with someone for good by whether they like the same comedy as me. All the friends who 'got it' then, still get it now, and we're still good friends!
- Georgina, Nottingham, England
LOVE Vic and Bob, so happy to see them back together again. I hope they have lots more planned.
- Sarah, Norfolk
Without doubt the greatest comedy double act of the late 80's and early 90's......the took the breakthrough revolution of comedy of the 1980's created and perfected by Edmonson/Sayle/Mayall/Elton and co, and put their own stamp on it, and indeed took it to a new level....these 2 guys are responsible for creating the great adoration I have in comedy.... they made me realise that comedy is fun, comedy is insane, comedy is zany, comedy is not being afraid to experiment and most importantly comedy is life!
I love Reeves and Mortimer .
- Des Bennett, York, England, UK
