Eric Idle’s What About Dick? released as a download next week…
“Everyone who watches this gets free glue* for life,” says Eddie Izzard, one of the stars of Eric Idle’s What About Dick?
Described by Eric Idle as, “Oscar Wilde on acid or like Downton Abbey, only funnier,” What About Dick? begins with the birth of a sex toy invented in Shagistan in 1898 by Deepak Obi Ben Kingsley (Eddie Izzard), tells the story of the decline of the British Empire as seen through the eyes of a Piano (Eric Idle) and the story of young Dick (Russell Brand), his two cousins (Jane Leeves and Sophie Winkleman) and their dipsomaniac Aunt Maggie (Tracey Ullman), who all live together in Kensington in a large, rambling, Edwardian novel.
There too are the Reverend Whoopsie (Tim Curry), the incomprehensible Scottish Inspector McGuffin (Billy Connolly) and Sergeant Ken Russell (Jim Piddock) and the case of the Houndsditch Mutilator.
Idle calls What About Dick? “a hybrid”.
“It’s got elements of a musical – we have songs. It’s got elements of a play, but it’s not a play that you have to take completely seriously because it’s sort of a send up. It has bits of stand up and improv and these hilarious comedians are playing multiple roles and doing impersonations,” the ex Python says. “This cast is unique. You’ll never see this cast together again doing something like this.”
It certainly sounds like the cast are having fun going off script. “The audience loves hearing those Python rhythms and that Python language, but we’re adding ourselves to it as well and going off in riffs of madness,” reveals Ullman. “These people are people that live for laughter! They’re dangerous people to be around. They’ll do anything!” adds Brand.
Tim Curry agrees that it’s a “comic free-for-all”, and when he’s not dishing out imaginary free glue Izzard warns: “It’s a huge laugh. It could rip your lungs out. People could watch this and laugh too much and die, so that’s, that’s the danger. It’s actually dangerous to watch.”
* Izzard can’t guarantee this, but if you buy enough glue, you should have enough for life.
What About Dick? costs $6 (£3.80) and can be downloaded the official website on Tuesday 13 November, 2012.
