‘Democracy is the will of the people’.
A lot has changed in the twenty five years since Nigel Hawthorne as Sir Humphrey uttered his concluding ‘Yes, Minister’ in the iconic much loved BBC sitcom of the same name. The public’s great affection hasn’t changed, however and British audiences have been packing out the show’s theatrical adaptation since its debut in 2010 .
The show’s trademark British acerbic wit and verbal political swordplay run throughout the show.
Director Tom Gutteridge has succeeded with a wonderful Australian/British cast. (Although as one of my colleagues has said it does take a few minutes to adjust, and the accents are at times all over the place). Set in the book lined, oak paneled, portraited Chequers and scripted by the TV series original devisers, Sir Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, we discover Jim Hacker in crisis once more, attempting to hold together a minority government while Europe gingerly walks the tightrope of fiscal catastrophe (sound familiar and topical?!) Also high on Hacker’s agenda are disputes about illegal immigrants and global warming. It seems that there is possibly a solution – oil rich Kumranistan is willing to offer trillions to build a trans-Euro oil pipeline. However there is a catch – the deal appears to hinge on Hacker pretending to turn a blind eye to the procurement of an underage hooker for the Kumranistan oil minister’s pleasure.
What to do? How does Jim solve this moral and ethical dilemma?!
You will have to see the show to find out but fans of the show will not be disappointed. There are some very funny lines about morals, prayer, ethics and religion. There is great comic timing and and plenty of laughs.
As tall, balding Jim Hacker, Mark Owen-Taylor is great. Bumbling and uncertain (or is he?), he tries to do good and what the electorate wants (‘I am their leader. I must follow them’). He is described by Owen-Taylor as a ‘bit of a cowardly lion, with a bit of Tony Blair and Kevin Rudd about him’. His almost complete collapse/retreat in Act 2 is a hilarious highlight of the show and his interview for the BBC at the end mimics Winston Churchill.
As Sir Humphrey Appleby, the great Philip Quast is excellent, giving a stellar performance. Urbane, smooth, suave he is always in control with great panache. His idea of ‘casual’ is to hide the point of his impeccably placed pocket handkerchief.
Quast is magnificent when delivering the typical Sir-Humphrey-speak bamboozling, waffling almost impossibly convoluted speeches that in fact do not really answer the question
( he has one in each act!). It is all about controlling Jim Hacker and in fact running the government. There is a great crashing Gothic-like entrance for him at one point in the thunderstorm when all the lights go out.
As Bernard, John Lloyd Fillingham is great. Prim, earnest, seemingly naive and very enthusiastic he sometimes contorts himself into funny sculptural shapes.
Caroline Craig plays claw-sharp, cynical and manipulative Claire Sutton and looks stunning in a fabulous green dress.
Tony Llewellyn-Jones as the put-upon BBC Director-General who suffers from status anxiety and is rather misguided over hearty chumminess, and Alex Menglet who purrs smoothly as the Kumranistan Ambassador, are excellent in their smaller cameo roles.
This is a lovingly faithful yet updated version, with today’s Blackberry’s, computers and other technologies, yet the show includes all the classic elements we know and love dearly. The audience was rolling in the aisles at various points. The play certainly works and I think that the much missed Paul Eddington and Nigel Hawthorne would be pleased. The show runs 2 hours and ten minutes including one interval.
YES, PRIME MINISTER, by Anthony Jay and Jonathon Lynn, opened at the Sydney Theatre on Wednesday 4th April and plays until Sunday May 13, 2012.
© Lynne Lancaster
6th April, 2012.
Sydney Theatre Reviews- YES, PRIME MINISTER, Lynne Lancaster, Sydney Arts Guide