Review by Steve Bennett

Many a comic hero has been the subject of a fringe play, and now Dad's Army star John Laurie joins the ranks of Kenneth Williams, Tommy Cooper and alike.

Laurie played Private Frazer - the dour Scottish curmudgeon who believed the outfit was perennially doomed.

Yet Frazer's career comprised far more than this memorable role, and this monologue is a plea for a more rounded appraisal of his life's work.

However, the play is little more than a literal biography, merely listing the actor's achievements, lacking any weightier theme or message.

Ian Watt is a compelling performer, and bears more than a passing resemblance to the famous defender of Warmington-on-Sea.

But while he may bring Laurie back to life, there seems little reason to do so, save an interesting but unfulfilling romp through his CV enlivened by the occasional witty aside.

Laurie witnessed the horrors of the Somme, where he was hospitalised for a year because of he conditions in the trenches; was heartbroken when his first love died young; and was an acclaimed Shakespearean actor, playing alongside Gielgud, Olivier and Richardson.

As well as these facts, there are a few snippets of gossip about the cast of Dad's Army - whose 80-episode run lasted longer than the Second World War - such as Arthur Lowe's narcoplexy and John Le Mesurier's vanity.

But this 'dead man talking' really doesn't amount to much, and that essential lack of substance means this monologue is essentially doomed, doomed from the start.

Review date: 1 Jan 2002
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett