26 July 2023
Fiona Dodwell
Laurel And Chaplin: The Fued had it's opening night at West End's Cambridge Theatre this week, playing to a sold-out audience. Television legend Michael Barrymore directed the much anticipated show, much to the delight of the star's fanbase.
Barrymore explained, “This is about the story of how [Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin] met, bitterly fell out and never spoke again. Then [Stan Laurel] went on to form Laurel and Hardy." Chaplin was accused of being a Communist and this proved to be disastrous to him at the time, whereas Laurel found success with duo Laurel and Hardy. This theatrical production explores these themes and the story of their early friendship.
On it's opening night, Barrymore received a standing ovation from the audience, who seemed pleased to see the entertainer back on stage. Over recent years, the star has been bringing in a new generation of fans through TikTok, which now has over 1M followers. Demand from his legion of fans seems to be stronger than ever, and if his directorial debut shows anything, it is that he still has a bright future on stage ahead of him – and his audience can't wait to see what's next.
About the show:
Laurel and Chaplin: The Feud is the untold but true story of teenage best friends sharing a room for three years as they started their careers. Charlie star of the show, Stan his loyal understudy. When Chaplin is discovered by Hollywood, he vows to help Stan if he makes it, but Charlie ignored his best-friend and even when Stan eventually found fame, they never spoke again for twenty-five years.A heart-breaking and hilarious spoken narrative explains ‘The Feud’ but this compelling story is transcended into something unique by a mix of slapstick, burlesque and cirque suitable for a family audience from a talented cast of eight multi-talented performers.
