It started off as a comedy sketch for a charity do in a golf club. Actor Jonty Stephens, whose impressions of Eric Morecambe were legendary, was asked to get up on stage and do a turn as his favourite comedian, but then realised he needed an Ernie.
“When I looked up there was Ian at the bar with his short legs, and I thought that’s my man,” Jonty laughs, “Afterwards everyone said ‘you’ve got to do something with that’. And it just went from there really.”
“when we sing Bring Me Sunshine at the end there is a hush in the theatre and people are in tears. I think Morecambe and Wise’s type of comedy is really missed.”
Seven years later, after their play Eric and Little Ern was Olivier nominated in 2014, and went straight from Edinburgh to the West End, they are back with their new show An Evening with Eric and Ern.
“It was the stuff of dreams, and here we are still doing it. The play just really took off, but we never knew how long the interest would last. We thought maybe a year – but you forget how loved Morecambe and Wise were,” Jonty adds.
He met Ian Ashpitel at drama school in 1983. “He was a mature student and I was an immature student, (boom boom) and we hit it off immediately.
‘We had the same sense of humour and the same reference points, and have been really good friends ever since.
“I think that’s the secret to the show’s success actually, because Eric and Ernie were best friends and so are we. You can’t fake that on stage. Lots of double acts fell out but they stayed friends until they died.”
What Jonty doesn’t explain is how much work the duo put into researching the famous comedy duo, before they even began, all with the support of both Morecambe and Wise’s families, to ensure they did them justice.
“In a way it was a massive risk because Morecambe and Wise were so loved. We were really nervous about the initial reception but we got such wonderful reviews. I think it’s because we treated them with affection and respect. That’s the key.
So how has the new show gone down? “We still get such an emotional reaction from the audience. The show is so nostalgic and reminds people of when they sat down with their families and watched Morecambe and Wise together, so it brings back really strong memories,” Jonty says. “And at the moment it’s such a great antidote to what’s going on. People need a laugh.
“But when we sing Bring Me Sunshine at the end there is a hush in the theatre and people are in tears. I think Morecambe and Wise’s type of comedy is really missed.
“It’s just joyous experience. You can feel the waves of laughter and that’s truly wonderful. And we are just pleased people love it and that we are keeping Eric and Ernie alive.”
An Evening with Eric and Ern opens at Oxford Playhouse for one night only on Tuesday.
www.oxfordplayhouse.com/ 01865 305305
