SOME much needed silliness has arrived at The Lowry in the form of this award-winning play.

It's the perfect pick-me-up after after what we have all been through in recent months.

The Play What I Wrote is not sophisticated, it's not spectacular but it is fun. It's also slightly bonkers at times and on opening night it did take the audience a while to get it as they were bombarded with cheesy jokes, slapstick comedy and routines straight out of the music hall.

The main cast of three - Dennis Herdman, Thom Tuck and Mitesh Soni - work incredibly hard to wring every last laugh out what is actually a clever script.

The spirit of Morecambe and Wise is evident throughout. It's not a direct tribute to the great comedy pairing as such but there are plenty of subtle - and not so subtle - references, winks and nods which fans will relish.

Dennis and Thom are a struggling comedy double act. Thom dreams of having one of his plays staged in the West End but Dennis fears this will mark the end of their partnership. With sidekick Arthur he wangles a West End date for a Morecambe and Wise tribute show but leads Thom to think it's for his new play about the French Revolution.

But don't get too hung up on detail. Just sit back and enjoy the laughs as they explode around you.

One of the features of The Play What I Wrote has been the surprise guest star who gets roped into Thom's play every night. For opening night at the Lowry Charles Dance gamely put his reputation on the line and fully embraced the spirit of lunacy surrounding him.

The sight of him dressed like Marie Antoinette complete with towering powdered wig will last long in the memory.

A word for Mitesh Soni who embraces a series of characters - each one more slightly ridiculous than than least. Anyone who can play a giant dog, a member of the Justice League and a French revolutionary deserves singling out for praise.

You can see why The Play What I Wrote has been a hit for 20 years. In some ways it harks back to a gentler era of comedy but in others it's actually quite radical almost forcing the audiences to jump on board with the quickfire gags.

You suspect that Eric and Ernie will be looking down and smiling.

The show runs until Saturday. Details from www.thelowry.com