Steptoe and Son
12 March 2013
Take an almighty wedge of nostalgic comedy history, give it
a bit of a wipe down with a wet cloth, and come up with something that looks
fresh on the eye and tingles your tummy with delight – that is what writer and
director Emma Rice has done with the scripts of Galton and Simpson’s Steptoe
and Son, the current Kneehigh production from the stables of the West Yorkshire
Playhouse.
Anybody who has seen the brilliant original BBC series, from
the late 60’s onwards (and one of the repeats that isn’t shouted at about),
will know that the content, a darkly rich humour with a splattering of social
awareness commentary, was a huge success.
With Emma Rice’s adaptation, the social aspect along with
the father-son love/hate relationship has been brought to its ugly head.
Four episodes have been chosen and tinkered with to
highlight this to great effect.
The Offer, started the ball rolling nicely in the love/hate
stakes with Harold (Dean Nolan) being totally fed up of putting up with his
father Albert (Mike Shepherd). Wanting out of the family business, dreaming of
being a top executive is all that is on Harolds mind. The clutter of the yard
with the un-sellable items, along with the malingering Albert has had its toll.
Of course this doesn’t go to plan, with hurdles being placed in every opportune
moment.
The Bird, another ‘getting away from his father’ tale, had
Harold scrubbing up getting ready for a date, of course the scornful bating
from Albert is incessant, as is his pleas not to leave him home alone, so a
dinner date is set up at home, in the stinky yard.
With Roxanne (Kirsty Woodward) teasing the audience with her
choices of dress and sexy splendour, we see the main protagonists pulling
together for a change getting things spic and span. A womans prerogative is to
be late tho, so when after an hour of lateness the bickering between the two is
comedy personified.
The Holiday, again had Harold wanting to go his own way;
this time for his first ever holiday abroad, for the first time with out his
‘getting in the way’ father. Normally they both go together to a seaside
resort, but when the brochures arrive, Albert is taken aback that he is going
to be left to fend for himself. The lengths that Albert will go to force his
pity onto his son is very believable and heartfelt at times.
In Two’s Company, Albert is in the mood to seek out a new
soulmate, somebody that will care for him in his hour and time of need. After a
local ‘Darby and Joan’ club meeting he tells Harold that he has met somebody
else, and is intending to marry her. This of course turns the tables, with the
Harold becoming upset at his fathers plans.
Of course plans in this comedy never go smoothly with
rivalry at the forefront of the topic.
In all of the segments, dreamscape portions were introduced,
along with likewise music. Recollections of youthful times, marriage, sex and
awakenings were unveiled with the introduction of a woman (Kirsty Woodward).
She danced and flirted to her hearts content with Steptoe and his Son.
The staging which was created by the workshops of the West
Yorkshire Playhouse, was very in tune with what we come to expect from Steptoe
and Son, horse (not a real one) and cart (which doubled as their living space)
, this was all very effective.
The original writing of the authors is something to always
be thankful of, but within new directions, as with the likes of Emma Rice,
stories of old can be brought back to life with superb results.
Steptoe and Son plays until Sat 16th March.
Michael Hunter
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