The seminal 80's British political satire makes it to the stage in this vivid staging. A new script by the show's creators Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn brings the action into the 21st century with the PM Jim Hacker at his country estate "Checkers" hosting talks with foreign dignitaries. As usual, Sir Humphrey has a plan to bring 10 trillion dollars into the British coffers via an oil pipeline. Listening to the voices of his secretary, Bernard and his special policy advisor, Claire Sutton turns things on its head, especially when a preposterous situation arises that threatens to send the whole British government into a tailspin.
Performances across the board are exceptional. Mark Owen-Taylor as Hacker is a young, vibrant Blair-esque Hacker as opposed to the older, more refined version presented by the late Paul Eddington in the original series. Caroline Craig looks gorgeous in green as Claire and plays the role to perfection. Alex Menglet and Tony Llewellyn-Jones, as the Kumranistan ambassador and the Director-General of the BBC respectively, make the most of their relatively small roles.
John Lloyd Fillingham as Hacker's embattled secretary positively bounces off the walls with nervous energy and plays his role to the absolute fullest. But it is the performance of Phillip Quast as Sir Humphrey that makes the evening worthwhile. Every nuance of voice and physicality is important and Quast doesn't let any of them slide by proving to be the big crowd favourite on the night (as indeed, was Nigel Hawthorne's original performance).
Shaun Gurton's set is impressive (complete with rain and televisions used to great effect) and the lighting of Keith Tucker plus some solid use of sound effects add some icing to the cake.
What lets the show down is some rather odd directing in Act Two. Director Tom Gutteridge seems to believe that a British PM can be a total goofball who gets all flustered and jumps around like a lunatic. I think this spoils the character of Hacker incredibly. Whilst he is never meant to be the sharpest tool in the shed, he still had the brains to become PM. To see the PM yelling like a madman and cowering under a desk is a little ridiculous and takes the polish off some otherwise stellar work. Also, many people might feel a little uneasy at the dilemma placed upon the PM and his cohorts which propels the narrative.
Quibbles aside, this a wonderful night at the theatre and one that fans of the classic series will lap up in droves. Be courageous- see this show.
