Told by An Idiot's new production Charlie and Stan heads to York

Red Ladder is always political, riotous and thought provoking. Slung Low will be outdoors, mostly, and probably pyrotechnical. There is a certain section of British theatre that has achieved being known for a particular style that is defined by its difference to the norm, work that is perhaps best described as idiosyncratic. I’m thinking of the likes of Kneehigh, Complicite, Yorkshire’s Own Rash Dash and falling easily into that category is Told by An Idiot.

Founded in 1993 by Hayley Carmichael, Paul Hunter and John Wright, the company has firmly established itself as one that will constantly surprise expectations. Hunter says: “Our name reflects our desire to place characters who are often on the margins of stories, or who simply act as comic relief, at the very heart of the narrative. Our use of the word ‘idiot’ in our name and all we do, refers to the characteristics of playfulness, openness and curiosity and is used warmly as a means to celebrate human vulnerability. We believe there is an ‘idiot’ in all of us and, by embracing our capacity to mess up, slip on life’s banana skin but continue to get up, we begin to inhabit a liberating and creative space.”With talk of slipping on banana skins and of centring the comic relief in stories, it seems perfect and perfectly obvious that the company’s next show, Charlie and Stan, is about two of the greatest banana-skin-slippers that ever graced stage and screen – Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel.

Told in the style of a silent movie with live piano score, the show finds Charlie and Stan setting sail from Southampton to New York as part of Fred Karno’s famous music hall troupe. They share a cabin and comedy routines and would go on to become two of the biggest stars of the age, but by the end of the voyage have drifted apart. Loosely based on the boat journey that the two of them took from the UK to America in 1910, the play explores an alternate universe and a double act that never was.

Danielle Bird takes on the role of Chaplin and Jerone Marsh-Reid plays Lancaster’s finest, Stan Laurel. Nick Haverson, who plays Fred Karno, says: “Audiences can expect laughs, I hope, and they can expect to get a little insight into the world of these two characters before they were famous. It’s a little known fact that Stan was Charlie’s understudy, and the play tells that story and shows you the relationship of two enormous talents. Afterwards they went on in different directions. It’s very light-hearted, very poignant. You can expect things that will make you feel slightly teary. It gives a great insight into the early days of Chaplin, which were not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination.

“The play is like a silent movie, only on stage. We look at things that actually happened, and elements that are slightly fantastical in the good old Told by an Idiot fashion.”

Bird, the woman putting on Chaplin’s famous moustache, says: “The silent movie era is so influential for all comedy today and has stood the test of time. It’s funny, it’s clear, it’s clever. Visual storytelling is universal, there’s no language barrier. The communication is funny and clear and simple and classic.”

It is a perfect combination: Told by an Idiot and two of the greatest clowns that ever lived. Marsh Reid, playing Stan, says: “The reason they are still relevant today is because of the formula they use for their work. It just works in comedy. Stan was a great performer before, but it’s kind of a real testament to what it’s like to be in a comedy duo and playing off each other. Stan and Ollie were so brilliant at showcasing that. Charlie Chaplin, on the other hand, showcases what it’s like to be a solo performer and really hone your craft. It’s work that will be timeless, that will ever die out.”

Casting a woman and a black actor as Chaplin and Stan Laurel is the sort of thing that might have drawn letters in certain broadsheets in the past, but that this inventive casting is happening, is an encouraging nod to the fact that the theatre industry continues its work towards tackling inequity. But for Marsh Reid, it’s all about the work: “It’s such a brilliant company, so kind and so talented. And the work that you create under Told by an Idiot is just a joy.”Charlie and Stan, York Theatre Royal, February 14 to 18. Tickets yorktheatreroyal.co.uk