Fringe Comedy
The Missing Hancocks
Assembly Rooms
Four stars
Marianne Gunn
There are some shows that are meant to be gentle in a bygone era kind of way. The Missing Hancocks is one such show and - for the majority of audience members - there may have been an element of nostalgia in their ticket-purchasing choice. This homage to the original Hancock's Half Hour is directed by Neil Pearson and features two different shows (so real die-hard fans can return). Show A features two episodes called The Winter Holiday and New Year Resolutions, while Show B explores Prime Minister Hancock and The Three Sons (all four are "missing" from the BBC archives).
Kevin McNally leads the cast as Hancock himself while there is an attempt to fill the rather large shoes of Kenneth Williams and Sid James (it must be said, the likeness to Williams is uncanny). The Winter Holiday is a gentle affair, focusing on a two-week trip to Brighton in November. The characters Hancock meets along the way provide most of the humour, although a forgotten prop (a plot-essential torch) made the whole cast corpse and was probably the highlight of the show. New Year Resolutions isn't quite as engaging an episode, although the staged radio performance style was slick throughout. Best for those with a hankering for gentle afternoon comedy, served with a large dollop of good old British nostalgia.
Run ends 30 August.
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