When the original scriptwriter of the seventies hit sitcom, Some Mothers do ‘ave ‘em, Raymond Allen, was approached by Guy Unsworth and Joe Pasquale about a stage revival of the characters, he gave them the complete scripts and they developed this new play based on one particular episode. But they could not have envisaged that the UK tour would be cut short in March 2020 by the pandemic. After a two-year hiatus it is back on tour opening at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage before travelling around the country until August, and if you are looking for a silly farcical night out it is well worth booking for one of its venues.
Don’t go expecting to see an impression of Michael Crawford’s iconic creation of Frank Spencer, the hapless accident-prone but loveable character at the heart of the story. Instead, Joe Pasquale brings his own unique physical presence and comedy to the part. He is a comic with a love of silly gags delivered with his distinctive squeaky voice and his comic timing lends itself to the situation and gets ever more manic as the farce develops. We do get the iconic beret and white trench coat from the original, but the adaption avoids the “Oh Betty” catchphrase and Crawford’s mannerisms. For those who remember the twenty-three episodes of the Sitcom(1973-1978) it takes a moment to adjust to Pasquale’s version but after a short while you just sit back and enjoy the madness of the rising chaotic business.
