The comedic skills of Maureen Lipman and James Dreyfus were put to perfect use last night, when Harvey opened at the Birmingham Repertory theatre. Bringing laughs galore and a heart-warming story, Harvey ensured that the whole audience left the auditorium with a warm glow and a smile on its face. Harvey tells the story of Elwood P. Dowd, a gentle dipsomaniac with a rather special friend, a 6ft invisible rabbit called Harvey. Harvey accompanies Elwood everywhere, much to the dismay of his exasperated sister Veta Louise and his niece Myrtle Mae. Their social life, and indeed, social standing, is being impeded by Elwood’s pal, and after one embarrassing moment when…