Following a sell-out year on London’s West End, three successful UK tours and a season in Mumbai, the charmingly incompetent English gentleman Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet Jeeves are packing their bags for a trip to Wellington. The iconic double act will be appearing in Perfect Nonsense for a strictly limited season at the St James Theatre from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 September.
Winner of Best New Comedy at London’s 2014 Olivier Awards, the highly acclaimed comedy Perfect Nonsense layers joy on joy and joke on joke in a hilarious evening of theatrical absurdity.
Bertie Wooster, the dim-witted, calamity-prone English toff, and his suave, shrewd manservant and solver of all problems - Jeeves, were the most famous creations of renowned English author P. G. Wodehouse. They first appeared in 1915, and thereafter in a total of 35 short stories and 11 novels recounting their hilarious escapades, making their final appearance in 1974 in Wodehouse’s last completed novel ‘Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen’. Perfect Nonsense is based on and adapted from Wodehouse’s literary works, and is written by brothers Robert and David Goodale.
When a country house weekend takes a turn for the worse, Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker and also to steal a silver cow-shaped cream jug from Totleigh Towers. Naturally, the ever-dependable Jeeves is there to save the day and prevent Bertie from making a fool of himself.
The supremely talented cast of three - Joseph Chance as Jeeves, Matthew Carter as Wooster and actor/writer Robert Goodale as Seppings the butler – recounts the weekend’s escapades in an evening of raucous comedy, playing a colourful array of Wodehouse’s well-loved characters including Gussie Fink-Nottle, Madeline Bassett, Sir Watkin Bassett, Aunt Dahlia, Roderick Spode and Constable Oates.
Producer James Cundall, CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, said “Jeeves and Wooster are some of the funniest characters in English literature, and are brilliantly brought to life on stage in this hilarious play – which earned outstanding reviews across the London media. It is all delightfully dotty, and a perfect dose of silliness and frivolity to transport you to another world.”
Though born in England, P.G. Wodehouse spent the first two years of his life in Hong Kong, where his parents lived, his father a magistrate. He later worked for the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank in London for two years before becoming a full-time writer.
From 1902 until his death in 1975 aged 93, Wodehouse was a prolific writer of short stories, novels, scripts for both plays and Hollywood films, as well as lyrics for musical comedies - at one time he had five musicals running simultaneously on Broadway.
Jeeves and Wooster have become world-famous fictional characters, appearing in film, television and stage adaptations, most notably the British TV series ‘Jeeves And Wooster’ starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie respectively. Both the name and character of Jeeves have over the years become known as the quintessential name for a valet or butler, and for all things associated with the role of a gentleman’s gentleman.
Perfect Nonsense stars three acclaimed actors from London’s West End. Joseph Chance has performed in numerous Shakespeare productions, including seasons with the world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company. Matthew Carter has also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, has appeared in the West End’s longest-running play The Mousetrap, and his film and television credits include Wallander and The Bill. As well as co-writing Perfect Nonsense, Robert Goodale is an experienced Shakespearean actor with numerous Royal Shakespeare Company roles to his credit, as well as film and TV appearances, including Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Heartbeat, Foyle’s War and Holby City.
With clever and inventive staging, in the intimate setting of the Drama Theatre, Perfect Nonsense is laugh-out-loud funny, capturing the eccentricity and innocence of a bygone English era.
The Perfect Nonsense
St James Theatre - Wellington - 8 – 11 September
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