Comedy legend Barry Cryer is set to return to the stage this spring. He will be one of the guests in London's first Silent Comedy Spectacular to be hosted by Barry Humphries at the London Palladium with a live orchestra.
Cryer has been spending time away from the linelight in hospital and recuperating following a fall last autumn. He had to cancel a number of shows including an appearance at the recent Bristol Slapstick Festival.
Silent comedy aficionado Barry Humphries will present a trio of slapstick masterpieces at an event described as “unmissable” by Sir Michael Palin, who added: “If you’ve a shred of a sense of humour - this‘ll be one of the high points of the year.”
Joining Barry Cryer for a matinee and an evening screening of classic comedy with orchestra on Sunday April 28 will be his partner in musical comedy crime Ronnie Golden, and zany Bernie Clifton.
The evening of laughs, gags and live music will feature three classic silent comedies by cinema stars of yesteryear, including Buster Keaton whose most famous feature film, Steamboat Bill Jr (1927), will be shown on a vast High Definition screen.
The masterpiece will be accompanied by The Bristol Ensemble, who will perform the London premiere of a new score composed and conducted by maestro Carl Davis.
Humphries and Carl Davis first appeared together in 1981 for Last Night of the Poms at the Royal Albert Hall, in which Davis conducted the London Symphony Orchestra.
Short comedies from slapstick favourites Laurel & Hardy and Charlie Chaplin will complete the screening, all with live musical accompaniment.
The event has been organised by Chris Daniels, founder and Director of the annual Slapstick Festival that takes place in Bristol. The festival’s mission is to build appreciation of silent and visual on-screen comedy.
Tickets for the first ever Silent Comedy Spectacular at the London Palladium on Sunday April 28 are on sale now and can be purchased from tickets.lwtheatres.co.uk
Chris Daniels, Director of the Silent Comedy Spectacular, commented: “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome the sensational Barry Humphries back to the stage to host London’s very first Silent Comedy Spectacular.
“As far as pioneers of visual comedy go, it is hard to think of anyone better-suited to present such a rip-roaring evening of laughs, gags and antics.
“Slapstick comedy may conjure up memories of grainy, black-and-white images of a bumbling Charlie Chaplin or a haphazard Buster Keaton but contrary to what some might think, it is a sophisticated comedy form that is very much alive and well.
“Visual comedy does not rely on language to be funny, so it is a phenomenon that is loved the world over.
“You only need to look to characters like Mr Bean and Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep to realise slapstick’s enduring appeal still strikes a chord a hundred years on.
“Since we launched Slapstick Festival back in 2005, we have introduced thousands of film-lovers to the very best that the genre has to offer, including the early pioneers whose legacy can still be seen in the films of today.”
