Fletch and Co do Porridge at the Empire

Shaun Williamson clowning around as 'Fletch' and inmates line up for a medical (Photos: Matt Jamie)

The Empire Theatre was transformed into HM Slade
Prison when the stage adaptation of legendary 1970s
comedy 'Porridge' came to Liverpool. The script for the
stage was written by the original writers, Dick Clement
and Ian La Frenais, which would make any fan of the
classic series hopeful of a great night at the theatre.

Sadly, this wasn’t completely the case. The show suffered because of the conversion to stage. In the TV series, audiences watched as camaraderie was built between the prisoners over time, but to squeeze this effect into a two-hour theatre piece is a difficult feat, even for legendary scriptwriters such as Clement and La Frenais. Anyone without knowledge of the original would be hard pressed to follow the plot and understand the character relationships.

The cast was led by Shaun Williamson, known for his roles as 'Barry' in Eastenders and Extras, who played Norman Stanley Fletcher. The role was a tough one to pull off as Ronnie Barker's original character has become such an iconic one for fans. Shaun Williamson told JMU Journalism: “It’s been incredible playing Fletcher. I’m the only person since Ronnie Barker to have done it. I was quite nervous at first but as soon as I found out the original writers were on board I felt a bit more confident about taking it on.”

Williamson's twist on ‘Fletch’ couldn’t eclipse Barker's. His delivery, at times, seemed unnatural and lacked the conviction of Barker's representation. However, it was refreshing to see a great comic performer like Williamson making the role his own.

Williamson said: "What I do is more of a physical impression.
I’m the same sort of weight and I’m the same sort of size as
Ronnie was then. I just use my own voice to let the script
speak for itself.”

Other old favourites were bought back too. Characters
like Godber, Mr Mackay and Mr Barrowclough all featured.
Nicholas Lumley’s performance of Mr Mackay was the
highlight of the evening as he took on the role of the
regimented ex-military prison guard. His delivery was
brilliantly coupled with his over-the-top marching and roused
several laughs from the audience. Unlike the TV
series, Mackay and Fletcher’s constant power struggle
wasn’t the main stimulus for the comedy.

The actors weren’t using microphones on the night which made it an effort to hear some of the dialogue. Although the sound levels were a problem at times, the set was perfect for the performance. It consisted mostly of wall-to-wall bricks, it reflected the mundane look of a prison and quite adeptly put the audience inside a jail setting.

For fans of the original, Porridge on stage will have been a success. However, those who haven’t seen the original will struggle to relate to it as it won’t bring back the fond memories fans have of Barker and co. For fans though this is a not to be missed chance to see Clement and Le Frenais back at what they do best.

The set was one of the best aspects of the show (Photos: Matt Jamie)