Rick Wakeman scores Laurel & Hardy short | To be performed at Slapstick festival © Lee Wilkinson

Rick Wakeman scores Laurel & Hardy short

To be performed at Slapstick festival

Rock pianist Rick Wakeman is to take part in Britain's leading silent comedy festival, after composing his own score to a Laurel and Hardy classic.

The Yes musician – who has also performed with Black Sabbath, David Bowie, and Lou Reed – has written a soundtrack to the 1929 short Big Business.

In the 19-minute MGM film, the duo play Christmas tree salesmen who get into a quarrel with a potential customer.

Wakeman will perform his score at the Slapstick Festival gala in Bristol in January. Also on the bill are Seven Chances (1925) starring Buster Keaton as a man who will inherit a fortune if only he can get married by midnight and Charlie Chaplin’s The Immigrant (1917), both also accompanied by live music.

The January 23 gig will be hosted by Chris Addison who said: 'I spent every teatime when I was a kid rocking with laughter watching Stan & Ollie, Charlie Chaplin and Co fall off some things, get hit in the head by other things and accidentally attach themselves to a couple more, so I'm delighted and excited to be coming to Bristol to take part in this wonderful celebration of the art of falling off, getting hit and accidentally attaching. I can't wait to see the films as they were supposed to be shown - with an audience and live music.'

Slapstick 2015 will feature around 20 silent and vintage screen comedy events from January 22 to January 25. The rest of the programme is due to be announced by mid November.

Here is Big Business with its original score:

Photo: Lee Wilkinson

Published: 11 Sep 2014

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