The Lad Himself

Tony Hancock – who? None of the people awaiting judgement in God’s waiting room have a clue who Hancock is when he wanders in, fresh from his suicide, having carted his oversized ego up the stairs to eternity.

If you’re none too familiar with Hancock either, Roy Smiles’ comic play gradually fills you in on the life of this British radio and television entertainer who made his mark in the 1950s and early 60s with Hancock’s Half Hour before spiralling into alcoholism, depression and an early death, aged 44, in 1968.

The afterlife set-up of The Lad Himself allows reflection on the peaks and troughs of this tumultuous life. As Hancock awaits judgement at the pearly gates, he is pulled up on his flaws—his sense of self-importance, the physical abuse of his wives—and celebrated for his achievements, which included entertaining the troops during World War Two.

There are some nice touches—making God and St Peter female highlights Hancock’s misogyny—and Mark Brailsford is engaging as Hancock, though you’d have to be familiar with the entertainer to judge how well he's captured. But the play suffers from a lack of pace in the latter stages of the hour, and some of the characters seem overly simplistic and caricatured, such as a doctor with an evil laugh straight out of a children’s cartoon.

This aside, Smiles has created a likeable mediation on fame, legacy and the insecurity that lies behind some people’s desperate desire to leave an impression on the world.