BWW Reviews: YES, PRIME MINISTER, The Apollo Theatre, July 21 2011

With internal tensions within the Whitehall machine under unprecedented scrutiny, it is timely for Yes, Prime Minister to touch down at The Apollo Theatre after its nationwide tour - a happy chance recognised by the audience's big laughs for a couple of gentle references to phone hacking. The set-up is largely unchanged from the much-loved television series of the 80s: PM Jim Hacker is still panicking about his political enemies and, especially, his political friends; his Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, is still holding the reins of power and bamboozling Jim with rhetoric and realpolitik; and his dear old Principal Private Secretary, Bernard Woolley is still trying to do, and say, the right thing. Breaking up this cosy boys' club is a new character, Claire Sutton, a special adviser who is trusted by Jim in exact proportion to the extent that she is distrusted by Humphrey.

The plot, not that it matters that much with the banter and bons-mots flying about, concerns the rescue of Jim's struggling coalition government and a financially tottering Europe by a mega-loan from a (mercifully mythical) oil-rich Asian country. Of course, it comes at a price, with a request for certain services require to satisfy the somewhat esoteric appetite of the country's Foreign Minister. It would be easy to be rather po-faced here and pontificate about a bit of casual racism, a distasteful plotline and an easy cynicism about politicians that is pushing on a very open door, but... Yes, Prime Minister is first and foremost a comedy, and comedy often offends and is none the worse for it.

What doesn't offend is the beautifully crafted set (a room at Chequers) on which we see four beautifully crafted performances. Simon Williams (Sir Humphrey) catches the pompous disdain of the career mandarin, but also shows the real fear that it might, just might, be taken away by the fools that the other fools elected. Richard McCabe (Jim) flip-flops from one position to another, as he eyes the the route to the next stepping stone that will keep him above the pit of vipers. At times, he descends into farce. A politician doing that - well who would have thought it? Chris Larkin (Bernard) portrays the conscience in this eloquently dysfunctional household of pragmatists and does so with winning charm. Charlotte Lucas (Claire) is believable as the well-connected operator who knows what's best for Jim and isn't afraid to say so.

For those used to the tightness of the thirty minutes that ran from Gerald Scarfe's drawings to the "Yes, Prime Minister" line that closed every TV episode, the expansion to a full length play can feel a little forced at times, but the laughs keep coming and, for me and millions like me who thought Jim, Humphrey and Bernard would never bicker again, it's great to have them back.

 

Please click through for my interview with Chris Larkin.

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