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Old favourites in search of a plot
Yes, Prime Minister: Sir Humphrey Appleby, Simon Williams, deflty guides Jim Hacker, Richard McCabe towards a decision in the best interests of everyone - everyone being, of course, Sir Humphrey. Yes, Prime Minister Birmingham Hippodrome **** THIS is not so
much Yes as Almost, Prime Minister.
There are the one-liners, the put downs, the
duplicity and the contempt for the electorate with the whole purpose of
Government and politics seemingly to remain in power for as long as
possible as far as the politicians are concerned. For the mandarins, such as Sir Humphrey Appleby,
the cabinet secretary, played with an air of superior aplomb by Simon
Williams, the object is not to allow the incumbent Prime Minister,
whoever he or his party is, to change too much in the cosy world of
Whitehall. That was the formula that worked so successfully
in Yes, Minister and then Yes, Prime Minister and Sir Antony Jay and
Jonathan Lynn have successfully brought their creation to the stage with
their hallmark bite and ireverence brought bang up to date with
contemporary modern references
All that part of the play works with Jim Hacker,
played artfully by Richard McCabe, leading a minority Government faced
with a huge deficit and, personally, facing a growing rebellion among
his colleagues. Hacker's emotions range from elation and triumph,
particularly when he gets one over on Sir Humphrey, to the depths of
despair, even hiding under his desk, when it all unravels. Keeping the PM calm(ish) is his principal private
secretary Bernard Woolley, woolley by name and nature, played by Chris
Larkin and a new addition to the formula Claire Sutton, the special
policy advisor, played by Charlotte Lucas. These are the unelected, unaccountable political
gurus, paid for handsomely by the taxpayer, which have become the
essential fashion accessory for any self respecting minister these days. The three actors playing the original characters,
Jim, Sir Humphrey and Bernard, had a big task on their hands with most
of the audience immediately comparing them to the much loved Paul
Eddington, Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fawlds from the TV series but
to their credit all that was quickly forgotten and the characters took
on a life of their own.
Williams was the elegant, suave, smarmy Sir
Humphrey, with his long incomprehensible explanations earning applause
from the audience, Larkin gave us a Bernard who walks the tightrope
between doing the PM's bidding and not upsetting the man who controls
his career, Sir Humphrey, while McCabe's Hacker is the floundering
buffoon of a PM, flapping at every problem and relying on Sir Humphrey
to solve them with his only weapon of control the threat of a Civil
Service Reform Bill. Charlotte Lucas just added the modern minder to
the mix much to the chagrin of the traditionalist Sir Humphrey. All of that worked beautifully. It is gloriously
funny poking fun at politics and politicians who, let us be honest,
fully deserve every prod they get. So we have a struggling PM of a minority
government, a failing economy and then suddenly one of that collection
of states ending in stan over there in the east somewhere or other round
about Afghanistan offers a $100 trillion loan to the EU in return for
building an oil pipeline and buying its oil thus avoiding Russia – a
godsend for Hacker's struggling Government and, much more important, his
personal standing. So far so good and then comes the main storyline,
which sadly should be just that . . . a line, a couple of laughs and
move on with the story. Instead we end up with a plot so thin it would
make the average supermodel look like Dawn French and not only that, it
also sets off a slightly uneasy feeling at the back of the mind. Yes there are laughs and some genuinely funny
moments but from being a satire on the politics of the possible which
has always been the strength of the Jay and Lynn creation it had moved
into the politics of the highly improbable and a slightly unsavoury move
at that.
Still, it is an enjoyable evening and there is no
attempt to recreate the TV series. There are no impressions or attempts
to copy characters from the small screen – instead this is a play which
stands firmly on its own two feet with its own characters who might be
familiar but have a life of their own on stage. It is funny, witty, has some biting lines and is
a thoroughly enjoyable evening – it is just a pity the plot could not
have been stronger or at the very least more believable. Roger Clarke Meanwhile from the back benches . . . **** POLITICS has become a bit of a laughing
stock in many ways, so just how serious is this new comedy by Antony Jay
and Jonathan Lynn? No doubt some of our current MPs squirm in their
seats when they see the play, which is extremely funny in parts, but the
main plank of the plot is a bit too daft, even for Westminster. Everything is going along smoothly enough until
Prime Minister Jim Hacker, trying to cope with the country's financial
problems, seems to have hit the jackpot with an offer of a massive loan
from an Asian state, as long as he backs a plan for a pipeline which
will zig-zag through Europe. But it's panic stations all round when the
fictional Kumranistan's Foreign Minister wants government help to
provide him with an underage schoolgirl for sex. Something you would
expect to be kicked into touch, but Hacker and his civil service team
actually spend their valuable time considering the crackpot idea. Nevertheless, there are many wonderful moments in
the play, including one where the PM's prayers for help are interrupted
by a tremendous thunderstorm which seems a reply from the Heavens, and
heavy rain cascades on the windows of the superb set, representing
Chequers, our leader's country residence. And, would you believe, the
cook there was an illegal immigrant! Naturally. There is a brilliant performance from Simon
Williams as the suave Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby. A couple
of his long-winded policy explanations are superbly delivered and earn
warm applause from the audience. Richard McCabe impresses as harassed Hacker,
desperately trying to cope with mounting problems, and there are
outstanding contributions from Chris Larkin (Principal Private Secretary
Bernard Woolley) and Charlotte Lucas (Claire Sutton, Special Policy
Advisor). Directed by Jonathan Lynn, Yes, Prime Minister,
runs to Saturday night 04.06.11 Paul Marston |
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The
result was that the link with current reality of what is happening in No
10, the strength of the original programme, was stretched that
little bit further. There are still plenty of topical references, jibes
and examples of the dark arts of Government but it is a pity they could
not have been hung on a more believable scenario.