Jeffrey Holland: ... And This is My Friend Mr Laurel ★★★★

In his pre-Fringe interview with The Recs, Jeffrey Holland told us that when he was a little boy Laurel and Hardy were his absolute favourites at Saturday morning cinema. His love for this classic comedy double act has continued through his life and has culminated in …And This Is My Friend Mr Laurel, a thoughtfully-crafted show that is the loveliest tribute to the iconic pair.

The simplicity of the production – just Jeffrey, a bed frame and a chair – belies the amount of emotional depth that Holland mines in the show. The premise is that Stan Laurel is visiting his dear pal Oliver Hardy on his sick bed (it was ultimately to prove his deathbed) following a stroke. With Hardy unable to speak, the conversation is Laurel’s alone for once. He reminisces about their creative partnership, their wives (10 marriages between them) and their highs and lows together. One could quibble churlishly at the premise – that Stan is telling Ollie things he already knows as he lived them – but there’s something in Holland’s wonderfully subtle performance that provides the perfect riposte. There is the implication that Stan has already considered, and even, accepted that his beloved partner is not going to recover. Heartbroken at the thought, he rambles nervously. His intention is to come to cheer his pal up. The reality is he can’t help air his regrets and say the things he’s left unsaid. When he thanks Hardy for his kindness in indulging Laurel’s father and his stories of being a comedian, you feel the ache from Stan that it has taken so long for him to verbalise.

Intriguingly for fans of the Laurel and Hardy films but who have delved no further, Stan’s off-camera persona may come as a surprise. Far from the lovable idiot he played onscreen, he is revealed to be a savvy operator, the creative powerhouse, a hot head with a temper, a pain in the neck for the studios, a perfectionist, a womaniser, the businessman… Essentially a whole heap of contradictions. A funny man who was a serious force behind the scenes. Cantankerous and even at times embittered, this is a man who needs his ocean view and his latest wife to keep his equilibrium.

There’s a sense in Holland’s script that when the studios started treating them like B-listers, and worse TV channels chopped their films to suit adverts, Stan has suffered enough losses and that Hardy’s demise would be one too much.

Of course the show isn’t entirely dark. The one-sided emotional reckoning is punctuated by touching vignettes where Holland plays scenes from their films, taking on both roles. As well as providing some much-needed comic relief, and showing off Holland’s note-perfect mimicry of his heroes, it serves to remind the theatre audience of Laurel and Hardy’s movie magic. Simple, silly, funny – and timeless.

For someone known and well-loved as a comedy legend from iconic British sitcoms as Hi-De-Hi and You Rang M’Lord, his dramatic dexterity may take you by surprise. When Stan finally addresses the loss of his 9-day old son, Jeffrey Holland’s very convincing emotional response were not the only tears in the room.

There is something incredibly touching about Jeffrey Holland’s nostalgic and affectionate tribute to Laurel and Hardy. You can feel the sincerity that underpins this delightful one-man two-man show.