REVIEW: Eh Up, Me Old Flowers! At White Bear Theatre 9 – 20 September 2025
‘A charming and loving tribute to an entertainment legend’ ★★★ ½
Eh Up Me Old Flowers is a feel-good two-hander exploring the life and legacy of Charlie Williams, Britain’s first well-known Black stand-up comedian.
In a biographical ode to an inspiring entertainer, Chris England as writer and director utilises famous phrases, physical theatre, and strong storytelling devises to paint an enlightening picture of a complicated man. Throughout the play, England celebrates Williams for his pioneering career yet is not afraid to criticise the outdated jokes and, oxymoronically, racial stereotypes he perpetrated within his material.
Set in 1998, the play revolves around an aged Williams (portrayed brilliantly by Tony Marshall) being interviewed for an MBE. Immediately, he is confronted with past controversies, consequently sharing his life story in an attempt to clear his name. There is a level of defensiveness within Williams’ storytelling that makes the audience question his reliability as a narrator – yet his immediate charm and wit win us over from the moment he steps onto the stage. Nick Denning-Read plays the interviewer, as well as multi-rolling other characters throughout, often hilariously breaking the fourth wall and offering a down-to-earth contrast to Marshall’s representation of the central character. Overall, they work well together as a pair, with strong comedic timing and tact for more serious conversations, played earnestly and with obvious love for the source material.
The use of costume as a motif for change was well executed, and the constant homely set adds a minimalism that compliments the structure of the writing. Perhaps the projections weren’t always necessary, particularly displaying images of the mining towns that British audiences are likely to already be familiar with, nonetheless it was a welcome addition during tributes throughout.
Despite the joke-a-minute format and Marshall’s warm demeanour, the play at points felt stagnant, with pockets of clunky dialogue and time-jump transitions slowing the flow of the story.
Nevertheless, it was a thoroughly enjoyable 75 minutes that did not shy away from asking difficult questions: towards both the entertainer and the entertained. Eh Up, Me Old Flowers is a charming and loving tribute to an entertainment legend, which relevantly questions historic political correctness in a present of heightened societal divisiveness.
Written and directed by Chris England
Performed by Tony Marshall and Nick Denning-Read
