From yellow coat to bowler hat, fulfilling a long held desire to pay tribute to his hero Stan Laurel, Jeffrey Holland tells this intriguing, funny and often poignant tale of friendship, love and dedication about one of Hollywood’s great film comedians- Stan Laurel. Jeffrey (Hi-de-Hi, You Rang M’Lord) stars in this one-man show about friendship, memories and a couple of remarkable lives. We had a chat with Jeffrey in advance of the show which runs 15-18 April at The Civic!
Can you tell us about your background and where you grew up?
I grew up in Walsall, a town in the West Midlands of England
How and when did you get into acting?
I got involved with amateur dramatics at the age of 15 when I was told there were some pretty girls in the group! I never looked back!
You have starred in many iconic TV shows, what has been your career highlight to date?Of all my work, apart from “Mr Laurel”, my favourite was “You Rang, M’Lord?” It was top quality TV comedy and David Croft said it was ” the cherry on his cake “!
Can you tell us a bit about how ‘And This is My Friend Mr Laurel’ came about?
I have always been inspired by the comedy of Laurel and Hardy and first had the idea to do a one-man show about Stan back in the 1970s but realised I would have to be the right age so I’ve waited over 40 years to do this play!
What can our audiences expect?
I think your audience will appreciate the wait as it is a story of love, ups and downs, and a couple of remarkable lives!
What’s next for you?
I’m taking it to Dubai in June so looking forward to that adventure!
I’m taking it to Dubai in June so looking forward to that adventure!
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And This is My Friend Mr Laurel
And This is My Friend Mr Laurel
Runs 15-18 April at The Civic