Pete and Dud: Come Again The Venue, London WC2, until 3 June. Box office: 0870 899 3335
Writers Chris Bartlett and Nick Awde's take on the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore story captures the melancholy at the heart of comedy. Using the clever device of a chatshow format (with cheesy host played to perfection by Alexander Kirk), this episodic piece steps in and out of the duo's careers, from their Beyond the Fringe days, the Not Only ... But Also TV shows, the notorious Derek and Clive albums and, latterly, Cook's descent into alcoholism, poignantly counterpointed by Moore's ascent to Hollywood 'sex thimble' status.
Kevin Bishop does an uncanny impersonation of Moore, chirpy but chippy Essex boy made good, while Tom Goodman Hill's Cook is a masterclass in urbane sneering. The writers pack in too much in two hours; some clunky exposition slows the pace at times and the mutually dependent bully/victim element of the comics' relationship could have been more deeply explored. Owen Lewis, however, directs with aplomb.
