‘Hilarious and heart warming’

When it comes to fans Hudson and Halls seem to be timeless with a new group of enthusiasts delighting in their antics.

After being thoroughly entertained at the Hudson & Halls Live! show one young theatre goer declared: ’’You don’t have to be an old person to enjoy it. It’s hilarious, so believable and heart warming. It didn’t matter at all that I didn’t know anything about them before.’’

That’s high praise from someone not even conceived back in the days of 1975 to 1986 when the gay duo of Hudson and Halls graced our New Zealand television screens.

This comedy replicates the pair’s TV cooking show.

For older viewers it is definitely a trip down memory lane and familiarity is exactly what they recognise and delight in.

They remember the programme with all its flamboyance, volatile bickering and chaotic cooking.

Actors Todd Emerson (Hudson) and Chris Parker (Halls) capture the appearance and mannerisms of the pair perfectly.

Amidst the hilarity and extreme slapstick humour, the audience is transported back in time to an era of cask wine, the Rainbow Warrior, David Lange and Telethons.

With an actual working kitchen the set is striking.

Cooking takes place before your eyes.

There’s steam, smoke, chopping, beating, stuffing, basting and decorating.

In between there is lots of trademark swilling of alcohol and plenty of unpredictability with the resulting cuisine.

It is so realistic that one patron confided in me that she was tempted to jot down the recipes to see if they could really work.

Helping add to the fun and bedlam are the characters of the floor manager (Anya TateManning) and the unnamed lighting/sound and effects technician.

Both quickly find Hudson and Halls are not an easy mix to deal with.

Often unscripted lines and spontaneity lead to surprises for both the cast and audience.

As well as the wit and humour however, there is a also a certain tenderness and romance to the storyline.

When cancer is mentioned and quickly sidestepped around we learn the sad biographical truth of how this couple died.

It’s reassuring to see that with entertaining shows like this one they will not be easily forgotten.