Yes, Prime Minister

When you get a well known 1980’s TV series adapted for stage, you always wonder how it will fare. Of course there was nothing to worry about. The characters and situations were brought right up to date, by writers Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn.

The recognisable strains of the TV series began as the curtains open on the study in the Prime Minister’s country residence – Chequers. The set looked very good as a wooden panelled room (that must have taken ages to paint!) liberally adorned with photographs of previous Prime Ministers, all enhanced by the lighting and sound, making us all jump when there was a thunder storm.

The story begins to unravel as our leaders are engaged in a morally bankrupt deal with the Foreign Ministers of a fictional breakaway state of Kumranistan. Of course this would never happen in real life, would it? The show stays topical, by making Jim Hacker Prime Minster of a struggling government and then throw in some gags about Blackberries and the Euro. Jasper Holliday gave a masterly interpretation of a Prime Minister who doesn’t know what is going on but all the while managing to keep his head above water. It wouldn’t be ‘Yes, Prime Minster’ without Sir Humphrey (Nick Noakes) delivering a tongue twister of an answer to one of Hacker’s questions, to the applause of the audience, but bewildering the PM. How on earth did he get to be Prime Minister? I’m sure Sir Humphrey could tell us! Andy Noakes was a suitably anxious Bernard Woolley, the PM’s Private Secretary and steered away from the stereotype character of Derek Fowlds in the TV version. Cheryl DeBie played Claire Sutton, the Special Policy Advisor, cool calm and collected, someone you would want on your side.

To move the story along Bernard is asked to obtain three ‘call girls’ for a guest at Chequers, or no treaty. The situation leads to a funny debate as the PM has to consider what he can ask people to do for their country. Stuart Pinel as the Kumranistan Ambassador, Jeremy Burnham as the BBC Director General and Sue Sutton as the BBC Presenter all added the ability to enhance the production and it’s humour.This play has a very wordy script and lines are not easy, piling on top of each other but under the direction of Andy Noakes (always difficult to direct and take a principal part) the pace was not allowed to slip. Congratulation to the whole team for an excellent production. 

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