Review Pete & Me Devonshire Park Theatre

Peter Cook's jealously and bitterness towards his more successful partner Dudley Moore was the recurring theme of Pete & Me at a half filled Devonshire Park.

Yet the 'Me' in Tim Marriott's darkly comic play did not refer to Dud but to Daisy, a star-struck stage manager who tried to comfort a depressed Pete in his dressing room.

In fact, Marriott failed to find a role for Dud, which was a pity because an explosive row between him and Pete after the ill feeling spilling over in their last London show in November 1972 could have livened things up.

Their Dress Rehearsal had been cancelled as Dud was appearing on This Is Your Life, and Cook improvised his way through despite being drunk.

Marriott's fictitious story about what happened after the show saw Cook being slagged off by his producer Alex and then being caught out by his girl friend romping naked in the shower with Daisy.

Jonathan Hansler was superb as obsessive drinker Cook whose massive ego and contemptible ravings resulted in him humiliating the innocent Daisy (sensitively played by Lucy Marriott).

There were also excellent performances from Gavin Robertson as Alex and Helen Bolitho as Cook's long suffering but unruffled girl friend Judy Huxtable.

Written by Tony Flood