A conversation between the favourite couple of creative people and criers.
With work being nearly complete on their chapel, Keith and Marj embark on a tour, telling all from their backstories, to how they met and even finding the time for a pottery demonstration. Keith and Marj come from creative careers, one as a potter and the other an actor, though both have also been in bands in the past. For two hours the audience is let into the life of the loveliest couple from TV, finding out even more about them and more reasons to be fans.
The show is unexpectedly escapist in the sense that you can’t help being fully engrossed in the very down-to-earth format. It runs smoothly but doesn’t feel overrehearsed, it’s not an interview, just a conversation between two people who know everything about each other already. There are even sofas and a floor lamp to further emphasise the point of being let into their home (which everyone had been following along with through their series anyway but it was nice to see where it had started again). This seemed like a slightly less brilliant choice of set when the pair were seated and difficult to see (thankfully Keith is tall and spends some time standing). The one thing theatrical about the show is a large pigeon cutout on wheels which is brought out for a two second joke but disappointingly never leaves the stage.
It felt very personalised, each audience probably gets a slightly different show. For the later portion, new questions are written and chosen on the night. With Marj’s connections to the Isle of Bute and Glasgow, there were a lot of references to Scotland throughout which were much appreciated. For tonight only, special guest and old friend of Marj, Tom Urie was brought onto stage to accompany Marj when she sang. Keith and Marj’s new home of Wales also got its fair amount of time, with anecdotes about neighbours and builders as well as a lesson in Welsh on the screen.
There were, of course, some tears shed. A fact that people know and love about the couple is that they are known to cry and there was even a lengthy montage from Our Welsh Chapel Dream highlighting the fact. Another thing that had to be included was a pottery wheel for Keith. A larger projection provided a view from all angles but Keith didn’t even have to look at what he was making. An unprepared Tom Urie was called back to get some hands-on teaching from the master potter as Marj sang Unchained Melody in a tribute to the well-known scene from the 1990 film Ghost.
Having knowledge of the financial toll of their new home it seemed that Keith and Marj were missing a trick by not selling anything (such as their wonderful Capel Salem mugs made in Stoke-on-Trent). Another thing that for definite some audience members missed out on was a few outdated references, but not enough to spoil enjoyment of the whole thing.
Keith and Marj have been together for 16 years now. They lived their own lives, but now have many shared memories and a place to call home. It hasn’t always been a fairytale and they are very open in admitting the bad times, but it was fate that brought Keith and Marj together.
Reviewed at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. Next stop on their UK tour is the Opera House in Buxton.