I admit, I am a real fan of the gentle, daft, poignant humour that was the Ealing Comedies and so I was full of trepidation about seeing this show. I actually booked the day that tickets became available and went to the London first night and have been keeping this review under wraps. There had, of course, been a previous stage adaptation which Charles Vance toured starring the likes of Tim Brooke-Taylor but this is an all new version of William Rose's screenplay which in its original film version, directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starred the likes of Alec Guinness, Katie Johnson, Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom ... quite an act to follow!
I needn't have worried .. this is not a slavish rendition of the film on stage but a glorious re-working to make the best use of staging while retaining all the humour and Britishness of the original.
The writer, Graham Linehan, is of course famous for the likes of Black Books, Father Ted, and The IT Crowd so that's a terrific start and the designers, Michael Taylor (set and costume) and Scott Penrose (special effects) gave the director, Sean Foley plenty to work with. In fact, before moving on, I just have to give a standing ovation to the set, effects and the whole crew - the set got several, well deserved, rounds of applause; it is imaginative, surprising, clever and delightful. The set is as important a member of the cast as any and the effects are demanding, clever and very slick. Sound, lighting, fights, all of these added to the whole, in fact this is a very accomplished and "complete" production which I am delighted to have seen and am recommending to any Ealing Comedy fan who will listen!
This is also a very physical play which places great demands on its actors - I am delighted to report that they throw themselves into it full bore and carry the play along at a breakneck speed that threatens to break someones neck!
Marcia Warren plays the delightful, naive and charming Mrs Wilberforce with great clarity - take a moment to watch her when the action is elswhere, her off-line acting is an object lesson in being 'engaged' without drawing focus. Professor Marcus is played by Peter Capaldi with enormous energy, a difficult part ot take on which he does by sheer force of will ... he also gets some truly great lines, pointing fun at critics and commenting at one point "being fooled by art is a privilege of the middle classes". James Fleet's Major Courtney is straight from his Vicar of Dibley characterisation but none the worse for that, in fact it was a real pleaseure to watch him work his nervousness into the Major. Stephen Wright as the young harry has a hugely demanding part and his physicality and timing were beautiful. Clive Rowe plays the somewhat dense One Round and has a quite surprising singing voice and Ben Miller's Louis, switching continuisly as he does between aggression and apprehension was balanced just right. Supported by Harry Peacock's long suffering constable and the cast of "ladies" who come for the concert this is a cast on a mission - to entertain at the fastest possible pace, which the succeed in admirably.
A full theatre laughed, clapped and jumped throughout ... anyone listening to them as they left the theatre would have immediately gone in to get their own ticket for the next show!
Loved it!!!
