Over the many
years that Malc Stent & Don Maclean have been good mates
they’ve met regularly to swop comedy ideas. Little did
they think that they’d be able to foist some of these
onto you, the unsuspecting theatre going public. “Back
to Back” will not only remind you of the glory days of
radio & of Birmingham’s Bullring, it will also teach
you how to speak Latin & to cope with the TV remote. With
a little help from Dave Sealey & Bob Willis, Don & Malc
hope to delight, amuse & surprise you but, more importantly,
to provide you with some relief from the horrors of today’s
television comedy. The success or failure of their venture will
be decided by you & your chuckle muscles so don’t
hold back! Laughter is infectious & does us all a power
of good. Enjoy yourselves & remember, in the words of the
lads themselves, “If yow’m too busy to loff,
yow’m too busy!”
DON
MACLEAN was born, far too long ago in Birmingham.
He’s earned his living as a comedian for well over
40 years. In recognition of this Birmingham University
bestowed upon him an honorary degree in 1997. Not to be
outdone, Her Majesty the Queen went one better & pinned
onto him an MBE & the Roman Catholic Church saw fit
to invest him as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. This
had much to do with his weekly religious programme on
BBC Radio 2. which he presented for over 15 years. With
many Summer Seasons, 8 Royal Commands, 2 Palladium Seasons
& 35 pantomimes to his name, Don should certainly
know how to make you laugh.
Don first saw Malc at ‘The Boggery’, a place
that Don still believes was named after Malc. He described
him then as looking like ‘a well-filled sleeping
bag with messy hair’. Little has changed except
Malc now wishes he had enough hair to be messy.
MALCOLM
STENT, the kid from Saltley, started performing
on the ‘folk’ scene but when people laughed
at his singing, he realised his future lay in comedy.
He’s had great success both as a performer &
as a writer; his plays “Go & Play up your Own
End”, “Go & Play Further” &
“A League Apart” have attracted sell-out audiences
in local theatres. He also writes & appears in pantomimes
& is in great demand as an after-dinner speaker. Malc
& Don are not only firm friends they are also fans
of each other’s comedy styles & never miss the
opportunity to work together.
DAVE
SEALEY has had vast experience as a solo &
duo singer during a recording career which has spanned
over 3 decades. For many years he was one half of the
much loved due Cosmotheka who delighted audiences in theatre
& on radio with their music hall songs. He now tours
his one-man show “With A little Bit O’Luck”
which traces the career of Stanley Holloway. Dave has
gone on to play ‘Dame’ in panto & the
sight of his ample figure in drag is something to behold.
BOB WILLIS trained
at The Birmingham Conservatoire. He is in great demand
as a musical director & fills that role at the Birmingham
Hippodrome every Christmas for their pantomime. He is
acknowledged as one of the finest vocal arrangers around
today. He’s been responsible for all the music in
Back to Back & even gets the chance to shine with
his own solo spot.
