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"We broke all box office records including London Palladium doing
Pantomime in the 1980's. At the Dominion Theatre we sold out six
weeks in advance."
Tommy outlined the comic mayhem in
store for fans at the Broadway: "It's a new show, although
nothing is really new in show business. Nobody's on longer than 15
minutes, even us as Cannon and Ball. This will be followed by music,
sketches and singing.
"It's going to be all over the
place, including Bob's sons Rob and Darren as Harper Barricade.
Little Albert who is vertically challenged, will also be appearing -
it's a show full of surprises."
You can expect to have a personal
greeting from the stars. Tommy said: "Cannon and Ball is going to
be very interesting. The opening is going to be very different and
we are going to meet people at the end. All in all it's going to be
rather unusual."
So how did Bobby Ball and Tommy
Cannon become a team? Tommy said: "We met in a welding shop. Bob was
the first guy on the shop floor of over 500 people to speak to me.
"We struck up an immediate
friendship and used to go out for a pint on Fridays. Suddenly one
day he asked me to be part of a double act for a bit of fun and
extra money. We eventually got onto television. It was a fantastic
career and still is.
"We sung at first, but you got a
tenner more if you were a comedian, so we stuck a few jokes in. We
didn't pick who was going to be the funny guy - Bobby is naturally
funny."
Although, both Tommy and Bobby have
turned to Christianity in recent years, they have played down its
significance. Tommy said: "We have a faith - it's nothing
serious. We are basically very happy with our beliefs, but it is not
religious. We don't walk around with a cross around our necks."
There's no sign that the comedy duo
are going into retirement: "You never feel like retiring in
showbiz - I always feel about 35. There's not a lot of good comedy
around to be honest - that's why you need us around.
"Television is too full of
reality shows - and the BBC is getting rid of them. Everything's got
a certain time to run before it's dropped.
"Every thing comes back - just
look at the Two Ronnies. Ronnie Corbett doesn't seem to get any
older, but he doesn't grow either. If we weren't happy doing it we
wouldn't continue to do it."
Tommy explained what had inspired
his move into show business: "I loved
as a child Abbott & Costello, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Morecombe
and Wise. I have always loved double-acts. The naturally funny
greats, like Tommy Cooper make me laugh.
"Bobby has that bit of magic. He
just walks out onto the stage and everybody laughs. Either you have
it or you don't."
April
2005
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