WITH wall-to-wall saturation media coverage surrounding the general election, you would question whether a play about politics was needed at this time.
But, the Norbury’s production of Yes Prime Minister was a master stroke.
While the serious political lay of the land is in our minds on a daily basis, this tongue-in-cheek look at what government life could be like behind the closed doors of Westminster provides a welcome break.
And – so often, theatre groups neglect the potential of front of house. For this production, the players ran a raffle with the first prize of a bottle of House of Commons malt whiskey – very apt.
The piece itself centres around a somewhat familiar situation – a prime minister facing a country in deep financial crisis, whilst trying to keep control of a coalition government and find a solution.
We’ll all have been in jobs where different departments did not agree, but learn to live with each other, and this play shows a similar relationship – between the government and the civil service.
The play had a bit of a slow start but picked up nicely and had the audience chuckling along and empathising with the under-pressure prime minister Jim Hacker.
Part of that was down to the script, but mostly to do with the way the role was played by Paul Bellamy. His body language, mannerisms and comedy timing of some great lines were second to none – especially towards the end of the first half when he – and his government – were presented with a moral dilemma. Choosing the right path could lead to him sorting out the country and all its problems.
Chris Hall was equally good a the pompous, greedy and ‘in it for himself’ Sir Humphrey – the man who is responsible for advising the PM but, in reality, the man who wanted to look after his job perks and his lucrative pension.
As well as those two, there were also sound performances by Alan Woollaston as the dithering Bernard and Melanie Brown as the shrewd and clever Claire Sutton.
Another important aspect of Yes Prime Minister was the way it explored the ‘spin’ surrounding government – as many have said previously, it is not what you do when you are in power, but also what you are seen to do.
It is in the second half of the play when this becomes more important for the PM, especially as – at one point – he is even forced to pray for some divine intervention – a particularly funny scene.
By the end, having enjoyed the fantastic comedy this show lends itself to, you do find yourself asking just how real it is, compared to real life in Parliament,
And, while you’re chuckling to yourself as you leave the auditorium, part of you is also praying that what you have just witnessed is not how the country is really run.
And there is still time to catch this remake of the classic British sitcom.
The remaining performances start at 7.30pm from Thursday (April 23) to Saturday (April 25) and and tickets cost £10 and £9.
To book, visit norburytheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01905 770154.
