Our second theatrical treat of the weekend was a performance at the Victoria Wood Theatre in Bowness on Windermere. I spotted The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town months ago, and having loved The Two Ronnies as a child, I couldn't resist booking tickets.
The production was performed by Hambledon Productions, and they brought all the joy of the original to the stage. It's 50 years since the original broadcast in 1976!
Immortalised by The Two Ronnies, this Jack the Ripper parody is raspberry-jam-packed with Spike Milligan’s and Ronnie Barker’s love of surreal absurdism, clever puns, near-the-knuckle ribaldry, quick-fire jokes and famous wordplay. .
As the opening description says "something is rotten in Old London Town…" In Victorian England, a rotten, raspberry blower is claiming the lives of the upper-classes. The dark alleyways and moonlit graveyards of London are alive with the repetitive dins of the Phantom.
Inspector Corner of the Yard and his faithful sidekick, Sergeant Bowles, are fed up with these din-dins. The case is afoot. Will the Phantom be uncloaked? All will be revealed… particularly if the Phantom uncloaks himself.
We enjoyed a wonderful evening's entertainment. It was so good to relive an old favourite brought up to date in such a brilliant way.