Stream: By Jeeves
You must congratulate Andrew Lloyd Webber on his timing. Jesus Christ Superstar shown on Good Friday and now By Jeeves on VE Day. The perfect entertainment to raise spirits in these dark days.
Admittedly not his greatest success, despite the collaboration with successful playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It closed after 38 performances in the West End under the title of Jeeves. There were numerous rows during the production, and it was considered a flop. However, in 1996 they decided to revisit the show, jettisoning most of the songs and format. It opened at the Steven Joseph Theatre in Scarborough (Ayckbourns’ home venue), later transferring to the Shaftesbury theatre.
The filmed version shown was filmed in a studio in Toronto in 1991 after the Pittsburgh production, directed by Ayckbourn, who admittedly had no interest in musical theatre and shown on Canadian TV before it transferred to Broadway. A hybrid mixture which worked in some parts and not in others. But altogether a bit of fun with a few jolly tunes.
Set in a provincial village hall to raise money for a local charity, I immediately felt at home. This was my village hall round the corner. The perplexed audience were not sure why they were here! It was a slow start, but they and I were willing to give it a go. Perhaps it would get better! It gathered pace and they and I decided to stick with it. I am glad I did. Despite a clunky start and a wait for the first song, the appearance of other characters livened things up. Leading man Bertie Wooster, played by John Sherer, displayed terrific vocal dexterity and Martin Jarvis worked well as his implacable butler Jeeves. It took a while for the audience of extras, all in twenties dress, to warm to the concept of Jeeves directing the narrative of the story. It was not until the appearance of Honoria Glossop, Bertie’s former girlfriend, played by Donna Lynne Champion, that the first good song appeared. This was the standout performance of the show. Then the mayhem commenced. Mixed identities, silly songs, including ‘The Hello Song’ and’ It’s a Pig’, naff scenery rushed on and off, and a snooty band were everything you could expect from Wodehouse. Strong performances from James Kall as Gussie Fink-Nottle and Steve Wilson as Cyrus Budge III Junior, plus various members of the cast doing their turns.
Mischief Theatre Company who are currently taking over the world with ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ and various incarnations owe a lot to this mishmash of a show. You can see why this never really hit the heights, but in the middle of a pandemic it struck just the right note for another evening at home.
