Though Frankie Howerd was and still is “one of Britain’s best-loved comedians”, he was in truth a radical, whose courage and innovation as a performer have too often been obscured by cosy nostalgia. The first stand-up to dispense with conventional punchlines and slick patter, instead he crafted stumbling, surreal streams of insecurity, based on his sense of inadequacy, disappointment and sheer unsuitability to the very job of being a comedian. In his refusal to ‘do’ comedy like everyone else had done, he predated fellow non-conformists such as The Goons, Python and Eddie Izzard.
Mark Farrelly’s critically acclaimed play Howerd’s End comes to the Churchill Theatre on March 18.
Award-winning Bob Monkhouse impersonator Simon Cartwright plays Up Pompeii! and Carry On actor Frankie Howerd, and Mark, who has portrayed gay raconteur Quentin Crisp to high praise, appears as Frankie’s lover, manager and chauffeur Dennis Heymer.
Writer and comedian Barry Cryer, who wrote for Frankie, called the two-hander “Brilliant” while London Living Large said “Outstanding.”
“Howerd’s End offers you the chance to experience the full span of Frankie Howerd’s extraordinary fifty-year stand-up career,” said Mark. “From his earliest days on BBC radio, to his glorious Indian summer as a student favourite in the 1990s. Frankie was a true survivor, and one of the greatest comedians we’ve ever shared time on the planet with. But the play goes far beyond that, to also offer a deep insight into Frankie’s offstage life, chiefly his enduring relationship with Dennis Heymer, who met Frankie in the 1950s and loved him till Frankie’s death and beyond. The relationship was a closely guarded secret for its 34 years, and through it all both men fought to find a way to truly love. We think of Frankie Howerd as a solo act. In reality he was a double act. Howerd’s End tells the authentic story of two remarkable lives, giving audiences the chance to say farewell to a legend and reflect on their own ability to love.”
Howerd’s End plays the Churchill Theatre at 7.45pm on March 18. More details are at markfarrelly.co.uk
