Review by Steve Bennett

But back on their home soil, they’re a comedy institution, with a TV series to their name and an enviable reputation on the live scene. So the news that they were to call it a day after 20 years together, came as a sad surprise to their substantial fan base.

Watching this valedictory tour, it’s not hard to understand their appeal. Colin Lane and Frank Woodley are a double act in time-honoured tradition. Woodley, the slight, silly clown forever being put upon by his more uptight partner is the centuries-old fool railing against overbearing authority. And in this world, the devil-may-care exuberance of the free-spirited man-child triumphs over stuffy establishment conservatism every time.

On the most basic levels, this is the comedy of antagonism as Woodley tries to perform his trick, his song or his serious monologue, only to be slapped down every time. Such perpetual bickering may be the staple of double acts, but so often it feels forced and grating; with these two it’s a world apart, with a fluid, easy rapport instantly appealing to the audience. It’s a dynamic that’s made them genuinely loved; there can’t be many straightmen heckled with a heartfelt ‘Stop picking on him,’ as if the friction that’s sustained their act for 20 years is genuine.

So natural is the banter that the joins between the scripted and improvised is invisible, even to the most attentive eye. They mess about after an apparent slip-up, only for that to form a set-up for a joke that must have been planned. Elsewhere, they seem to be genuinely riffing spontaneously.

Woodley’s the obvious ‘funny one’, a natural clown who brings a skilful physicality to his slapstick, but Lano’s talents as a straightman shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s not just a simple stooge for Woodley’s malarkey, but a sardonic, sarcastic intellectual bully with a strong line in dry put-downs in his own right. And not to mention a damn fine singing voice. His frustrations with Woodley ceaselessly sucking him into the ‘dickhead vortex’ seem more genuine for it.

They put a surprising amount of invention into their act, too, elevating the visual gags from basic slapstick to the intriguingly funny. And even Woodley, the idiot, has a love of elaborately silly wordplay, giving another layer on top of the daffy mischief-maker.

That this is their farewell tour gives everything an added poignancy. On stage, Woodley worries how he will cope alone, in the auditorium the audience knows they won’t see these two together ever again, so appreciate them all the more. A few moments from earlier shows are resurrected and given a twist for nostalgic reasons, too.

There are some scenes that don’t quite fire with the precision you might expect, a convoluted voiceover section gets muddled and some of the set pieces are sloppy in their planning. But, in truth, it doesn’t matter. These two are so loveable, you can forgive them anything, let alone a few slight oversights.

And the Goodbye show is so skilfully, subtly constructed to manipulate that affection; and the fans are more than willing to go along with it. The standing ovation so freely given at the end of the show might have been inevitable, but it was also richly deserved.

Reviewed by Steve Bennett
Melbourne, April 2006

Review date: 1 Jan 2006
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett