Following a year of celebrations for the franchise’s 25th anniversary, David Graham has produced a brand new episode of the Eric series. Hi-De-Hi Eric has been written as a spoof of the famous television series which itself was a spoof of the holiday camp scene of the late 1950s and 1960s.
Regular attenders to the Eric plays will be delighted to hear that the next twenty-five years have started off in sparkling form.
Eric (David Graham) has suffered nagging from his wife Bev (Laura Sheppard) who is desperate to be taken on a luxurious foreign holiday. The hen-pecked husband finally agrees to give in to his partner’s demands and arranges a break away from Stoke-on-Trent.
As always with Eric there is a twist in the tale. The time away will not be spent on a faraway shore. Instead, it will be at a fairly run-down holiday camp and there is worse to come for Bev. Eric has enrolled the couple to work at the camp for the summer season.
After a night spent in poor quality accommodation and a less than cordon bleu breakfast, Bev learns of Eric’s plans when handed her uniform by chalet maid Betty (Carly Cook). Bev is less than pleased with the arrangement and is about to storm off when she meets the Entertainments Manager Mr Montagu (Richard Ede).
Mr Montagu is a dashing young man who comes from an academic background and an appointment as his PA is a dream of a job for Bev who has high hopes of playing with more than his xylophone.
So, all of Eric’s plans seem to have come together especially as he is shown some tricks to scam the campers by fellow yellowcoat Stan (Alan Howell) and his wandering eye has also been energised by the sight of Sylvia (Yilda Hussein).
Life seems to have finally worked out for our Eric and he seems to have settled in well with camp comic Micky (Kenny Davies) and the other members of the entertainment team (Tom Bevan and Joe Cocks). However, as regular attenders of Eric plays will know, there is always a problem to be solved.
The camp is failing to attract enough visitors to make it a going concern and the owner is threatening to close the centre down completely if there is a bad report from his inspector Dorothy Perkins (Sheppard).
How can Eric and the team turn a failing camp around in a matter of days? Will Betty and Micky finally overcome their shyness and be able to declare their love for each other? Will Betty fulfil her dream of becoming a yellowcoat herself?
All is revealed in hilarious fashion as the play ends in party style with the audience on its feet dancing to a carefully selected playlist of 60s hits.
The Eric series has become something of a cult for many in North Staffordshire. It’s non-stop delivery of dad jokes has the audience rocking in laughter and they are interspersed with musical memories that are beautifully delivered by a highly talented cast of actor-musicians. And there is always the chance that audience members will be more intimately involved in the action.
Each episode of the franchise introduces some new actors to the regular players in the series. Ede is excellent as the bumbling former archaeologist who is way out of his comfort zone and Davies and Hussein were both given the chance by some deft Direction to showcase their vocal and acting talents.
The audience has come to expect high-class performances from the regular cast members and this they definitely get. However, a special mention should also be made for regular Cook who is perfect as the Mrs Malaprop of a character Betty.
Graham is a generous Director who gives all of his cast a chance to shine in the spotlight and he has once again hit the entertainment bullseye. Nothing sophisticated – just a fabulous night of entertainment that leaves its audience with huge smiles on their faces and a spring in their step as they make their way home.
I don’t know that I would want to spend a full week at this camp but the few hours spent with the Hi-de-Hi folk fly to prove that this is truly top quality entertainment
