Stand Up the Musical was performed at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.
Take some of our most legendary entertainers, put them in a musical about stand-up comedy, and watch them all die on stage in a horrific car crash of a show that runs for five minutes less than Les Misérables and involves even fewer moments of laughter. Sounds impossible, right? Wrong. Daryl Denham and Maurice Cheetham – who between them have worked with some of the biggest names in pop – have created such a beast, in this world premiere production at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton.
Scott Thomas (Owain Williams) is a young, up and coming stand-up comedian, thrust into the limelight following a TV appearance on Totally Saturday Night, hosted by Tony Monroe (Darren Day). Scott shares the air-time with ageing gay comedian Stan Chester (Billy Pearce) – an idol of the young star. What develops between the pair is a true, strong friendship, no matter what is thrown their way, and trust me there is a lot – affairs, marriage collapses, sabotage, engagements, pregnancy, blackmail. And here lies Stand-Up the Musical’s biggest problem, it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Far too many ideas are poorly constructed and delivered with non-existent charm.
We are promised ‘great comedy, a touching story and huge production numbers’. What we get is outdated, sexist jokes which fall flatter than a pancake, intermixed with a story that leaves little to the imagination and production numbers which wouldn’t feel out of place at a downtrodden holiday camp in the back of beyond.
Needless to say that the show’s biggest problems lie in Denham and Cheetham’s material, but this is also coupled with poor, pedestrian direction from Anthony Williams, leaving the cast meaninglessly meandering around the stage giving two-dimensional portrayals.
The cast members push forward and really give their all to the piece, with strong performances come from Owain Williams and Dean Sullivan who is a delight as ageing comedy club owner Bob Fletcher. But the real star of the show is Billy Pearce who lifts the energy of the production to new heights every time he is on stage – this is a performer that really has the magic touch, a shame that the material he has to play is so substandard.
This is a musical that has to go back to the drawing board, an interesting premise which needs a radical re-write and a good few workshops before it ever graces a stage again.
Kevin Byrnes
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