The audience at the Royal Lyceum were on fine form last night; in spite of the twenty minute wait in the cold while the ladies and gentlemen of the Edinburgh Fire Brigade dispersed, and the mad rush to get to the unusually smoky bar ensued. Most would agree the Lyceum's latest production was worth the wait, and the smell.

The revival of Tom McGrath's Laurel and Hardy is as heart warming as it is entertaining. The audience are transported to an abandoned film studio, where a black and white world is remembering nostalgically the stars of its past. And there they are: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy played so perfectly by Steven McNicoll and Barnaby Power. Both portray their real life characters with those well known gestures and subtleties that make them at once recognisable and comical, and their recreation of the famous wall papering sketch is flawlessly funny. This production is a real celebration of the life and times of two of the kings of slapstick. McGrath's script goes dee per too, focussing on the backstage happenings, the Hollywood industries and the wives and lovers that influenced the famous pair, recreating the hilarious and the heart-rending with a gentle balance. The songs, sketches and story are simple, nostalgic, stupidly funny at times and poignant at others. This is a real gem of a production. Not to be missed.