Derren Litten’s award winning TV
sit com comes alive on stage and guarantees everyone a sunshine evening packed
with laughter. Directed by Ed Curtis and
produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian, the tour began its run at the
always wonderful Theatre Royal, Newcastle before heading off around the UK.
It can’t be easy to take a TV
show that ran for 10 seasons, beloved by millions and winner of multiple awards
and put it onto a theatre stage. After 74
episodes, fans feel like they know everything there is to know about the characters
so how do you create something that still feels fresh and exciting without either
going over old ground or just making a pastiche (not pasty, Kenneth).
Derren Litten has written a stage
show that brilliantly feels, for all intents and purposes, like a one off
special for the small screen. The
audience are dropped right back into their favourite Costa Del Sol hotel, the
characters act as if there has been no gap since the end of the last episode and,
most importantly for fans, there is no time wasted establishing who is who and
what is what. This means the pace is immediately
high with fans’ favourites entering to rapturous applause and cheers and the
familiar surroundings of the Solana, Blow and Go and Neptune’s enveloping the
audience like their warmest winter duvet.
The tour is due to run for over 200 performances and this show is packed
with fun to keep people coming back for more, time after time – in fact it is
possible we may have just watched a modern cult show being born. There is every chance, a la Rocky Horror,
that many fans, having seen it once, will dress like their favourite characters
and keep coming back for an almost communal night out.
Choosing which characters to use
after so many episodes can’t have been easy; fans of the show feel they have grown to know many
of the families – the Gravies (sic), the Dawsons, the Matlbys, Les and Leslie
and as such will always have their favourites, but the genius of Litten’s
writing is that those not on stage are not missed, it just feels like they are
somewhere else in the hotel at the time.
Of course, those who are on stage ensure that the core essence of the TV
show remains strong; Matteo’s failed attempts at womanising, Joyce’s desperate approach
to hotel management, Kenneth’s love of all things Benidorm, Jacqueline’s pursuit
of carnal pleasures to name but a few.
For an actor, TV can be quite a
forgiving medium in which to work.
Multiple takes, multiple camera angles, dubbing, even stunt and body doubles
can all be used to ensure the final cut is perfect. On stage there is no such luxury, no safety
net of fixing things in post. This makes
the comedic timing, singing, dancing and delivery of Litten’s word plays (at
times his writing is like a cross between Alan Bennet and Victoria Wood) all
the more impressive. The cast never
missed a beat, from Matteo’s flamenco dancing to Sam’s brilliant singing, from
Liam and Kenneth’s love/hate/love to Jaqueline’s double entendres they were
word and pitch perfect.
Mark Walters’ design and lighting
is very clever; utilising a central revolving stage reception, the salon, the
pool side, managers office and karaoke bar all morph before your eyes with no
need for fades or flies meaning the scenes are seamless and the pace never
drops. Likewise, using the wonderful
singing of Asa Elliot to help smooth the changes and the night simply flies by.
You may have noticed that I have
not delved into the story or any of the stand out moments – believe me, I would
love to as I have already told many, many people, but it wouldn’t be fair to
spoil the surprises so instead I will say – if you loved Benidorm the TV show
and mourned its passing after season 10 then this production is guaranteed to
fill your evening with belly laughs, gasps and groans and leave you with the
warm all over glow that only a day in the hot Benidorm sunshine can.
Tickets and tour dates can be found here:
http://www.benidormonstage.com/
