Rising Damp at The Lowry Manchester Review
Rising Damp
by Eric Chappell
28 May – 1 June 2013
Reviewed by Debbie Tasker
The TV show was originally broadcast from 1974 to 1978 and in 2004 was voted the best ITV sitcom of all time. As a youngster I would watch the programme with my family and we loved it, and still watch repeats when they are shown. So I was excited to be asked to attend the opening night at The Lowry Theatre, Salford yesterday.
As soon as the original theme tune started to play and the curtain went up the audience burst into applause! So, looking around the auditorium at the age groups and their actions I would say most were fans from back in the day.
Set in a house of grotty bedsits where Rigsby is landlord and his lodgers are students Alan and Philip, and the man hungry Miss Jones, this is comedy at its best.
Stephen Chapman takes the role of Rigsby originally made famous by Leonard Rossiter (although when it first came to stage in November 1970, then titled The Banana Box Wilfred Brambell of Steptoe and Son fame played him). He enters the stage looking and sounding so like Rossiter that I was mesmerized, you could hear everybody, including me and my mum whispering amongst themselves words like wow! Fantastic! Omg! He is a bigoted slimy nosey old man, Chapman has him off to a tee. Amanda Hadingue is Miss Jones, (Francis de la Tour) the middle aged rather promiscuous object of Rigsby’s affection, but she only has eyes for Philip, Cornelius Macarthy, Don Warrington played him for the sitcom and also directs this production. Philip is an African prince with ten wives, or so he would have us believe! Alan (Paul Morse/Richard Beckinsale) a medical student who is young and naive believes everything that he says and some of their conversations are hilarious. Full of racial, social and sexual tensions the witty dialogue and superb cast had us in fits of laughter on many occasions.
The stage is set in Alan and Philips attic bedsit, the props are very authentic as are the costumes and soundtrack. What I would say though is the wigs are a bit dodgy, but maybe that was the idea?
The whole show is comedy genius. Not sure it would appeal to a new generation but to us oldies it is a gem of a show.
Don't miss it!
Rating: 5/5 
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For more information on the National Tour or to book tickets click here.
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