There is much chatter about the imminent arrival of Tweedy when we arrive at The Mill in Banbury – lots of talk from the children about how they saw him at Gifford’s Circus last year and what would The Missing Company of Sherlock Holmes be like?
My children were also asking questions such as “why is Tweedy called Tweedy, is it because he is like a birdie?”. And the big question,“will Keef be with him?”
All of the Tweedy classic moves were there – getting caught with his pants down, showing his baggy Y-fronts, all performed in his inimitable style
We didn’t have long to wait as the lights went down and Tweedy entered with Keef his pet iron. The relief was palpable, same Tweedy, same crazy hair, and with everyone’s favourite side kick Keef.
Tweedy then launched head first into the bonkers slapstick that we all know and love him in new show The Missing Company of Sherlock Holmes, complete with false teeth, and deerstalker. He is looking for his hat with a magnifying glass, and as he starts to say “ooooh noooo its all ……….. DIRTY” the whole crowd join in, obviously avid Giffords fans who know his famous lines.
“TWEEDY kept the audience entertained and on the edge of their seats for the whole performance”
There were lots of wonderful things about the play, but as an adult, its amazing how everything comes together so effortlessly, in particular his farcical comic timing, multiple different accents, characters and hats, and all conducted at a rate of knots. Absolutely hilarious.
There were too many other things going on to mention, but the famous love scene mimicry is terrific, from “I’ve had the time of my life’ by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, to Grease’s ‘I’ve got chills’, and Titanic, nothing is sacred in Tweedy’s impish mind.
All of the Tweedy classic moves were there, getting caught with his pants down, showing his baggy Y-fronts and so on, all performed in his inimitable style, which kept the audience entertained and on the edge of their seats for the whole performance.
By far my favourite bit was the old lady Mrs Stapleton serving the dinner shuffling in so slowly to place one plate down at a time, going back to collect another – just beyond funny.
And while Tweedy is an intrinsic part of Gifford’s Circus, it was wonderful to see him striking out alone and demonstrating what he can do. A blessing of a show and, as always, perfect for families, which is no mean feat either.
The Missing Company of Sherlock Holmes continues throughout February. Go to tweedyswebsite.com for more details.
Kate Bennett
