JEEVES TAKES CHARGE

Charing Cross Theatre

★★★

“Wooldridge’s staging is quite masterful”

From the age of six, P. G. Wodehouse knew that he wanted to be a writer. He certainly lived up to his ambition, writing in the course of his lifetime more than seventy novels, over three-hundred short stories, the lyrics for over two-hundred songs, more than twenty plays and several film scripts. And this doesn’t include his journalism, essays and verse. Most people, however, immediately conjure up his quintessentially English characters of Jeeves and Wooster when Wodehouse is mentioned. First appearing in print in 1915, the highly competent valet who serves his wealthy and idle master have claimed their place in English literature. They were created in a world very different to the one we live in now. A lost, privileged world, completely out of step with a modern society, and yet it is always interesting to witness its continuing popularity. Perhaps it is the gentle satire that appeals, or the warmth and affection in the writing.

Sam Harrison, in the one-man show “Jeeves Takes Charge”, latches onto this lightness of touch ignoring any necessity – or impulse – to engage with a twenty-first century sensibility. That he succeeds is no mean feat. He has the vocal and physical agility to take on over twenty characters and keep us more or less entertained for a couple of hours straight; largely down to the exquisite language of Wodehouse that translates smoothly from the page to the stage.

The main premise of the story is that the servant is far smarter than the master. Bertie Wooster is posh but dim – a foppish loafer with plenty of charm but low on intellect. Harrison emphasises the latter with a heightened campness and an elastic physicality that pays homage – at times – to Norman Wisdom. In contrast, his voice drops an octave to portray the lugubrious Jeeves, always one step ahead of his master. The plot essentially revolves around Jeeves continually trying to save Wooster from himself, and in particular from an ill-matched and potentially disastrous marriage. Of course, there is the added motive that if Wooster marries, Jeeves is out of a job (a wife would bring a new domestic regime, leading Jeeves to believe his dismissal would be inevitable).

There are farcical elements to the story which include a lost manuscript for a scandalous memoir, a domineering and ultimatum-hungry fiancé, a decrepit uncle, many a fear-inducing auntie – all staples of the Wodehouse repertoire. Under Hugh Wooldridge’s sleek and streamlined direction, Harrison employs his comedic talents to the full, with a vocal versatility that can switch character almost mid-sentence. The evening is stretched out thinly, however, and our patience is challenged as we approach the two-hour mark. The success of the television series starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie relied heavily on the short episodic nature of its transmissions. “Jeeves Takes Charge” weaves in two other stories into the narrative which dampens our attention, saved only by Harrison’s uninterrupted energy and dynamism (he plays a terrifically tipsy Gussie Fink-Nottle).

The characterisation is consistently clear; and so too are the many locations, thanks to Caite Hevner’s ingenious video and set design. Projections onto picture frames and the French windows are constantly changing as the action is relocated, and with the aid of Tim Mitchell’s lighting, the wallpaper is transformed miraculously to create entirely different interiors. Wooldridge’s staging is quite masterful, right up to curtain call during which Harrison takes his bow surrounded by the portraits of all the characters he has played.

The sense of nostalgia is pervasive. Which is the show’s charm as well as its distraction. It is light entertainment in the extreme, and distinctly old fashioned. The social satire is dated, but the linguistic inventiveness is timeless. It may be difficult to relate to, but Harrison draws us in with his vibrant performance and grasp of traditional comedy. We don’t always need to be on the cutting edge – a bit of gentle escapism never did us any harm.

JEEVES TAKES CHARGE

Charing Cross Theatre

Reviewed on 18th August 2026

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Craig Fuller

JEEVES TAKES CHARGE

★★★

“a neat little fable, with a good deal of darkness within”

The source material for the new musical, “Dark of the Moon”, goes back a long way. Originally billed as a ‘legend with music’ it opened on Broadway in 1945. That, in turn, was loosely based on English/Scottish folklore of the mid seventeenth century. ‘The Ballad of Barbara Allen’ was taken over to America by the earliest pioneers and gained the status of being one of America’s best-known ballads; some say laying the bedrock that bluegrass music was based on. The current version of the story has made its way into a new musical – with a book by Jonathan Prince and music and lyrics by Lindy Robbins, Dave Bassett and Steve Robson – that allegedly builds on that bluegrass foundation. Although the mix is dominated by contemporary rock music, a touch of Southern Gothic and a whole witches’ brew of Musical Theatre tropes. And, of course, ballads.

Indeed, it opens with a balladeer. Kiah Lindsay bookends the show with her mandolin and gift for storytelling. But in between, tradition gets swept aside for more homogenous crowd pleasers with predictable orchestrations. Lindsay’s words cut through the sparseness, whereas elsewhere the lyrics are often lost in the over-produced numbers, despite the belting form that the two leads are renowned for. John (Glenn Adamson) is a non-human, ‘witch’ creature who lives in eternity amongst his coven in the Appalachian Mountains. Barbara Allen (Lauren Jones) lives in the fictional, God-fearing town of Buck Creek. Both are misfits in their own communities. Having fallen in love with Barbara, John desperately wants to cross over to the human world but, of course, there are conditions. He has a year to prove the match is worthwhile. Otherwise, he is condemned to return to his life as an immortal witch. Barbara must remain faithful to John in that time. That sounds like no big deal, except that all the witches are convinced that Barbara isn’t up to the task – given her past promiscuity. Or so we are led to believe. There is no hint whatsoever of this in her characterisation.

Characterisation is, in fact, thin on the ground. Prince’s book churns out dialogue that drifts in a no-man’s-land somewhere between high school romcom and scary movie. The lyrics, when they are heard, follow suit like impressionable wannabes. The Faustian deal is struck, but the stakes are never high. Being human is heartbreaking. We learn this from a recurring message, delivered either through song or platitude. The staging, nevertheless, is well executed. Director Georgie Rankcom mixes the two worlds distinctively, letting them overlap and collide with force. Jonathan Chan’s lighting reinforces the disparity of these worlds, and a committed cast belt out fine vocals that complement the lush visuals of the show. But the heart is bland. Small town vigilantism and intolerance are explored as much as the supernatural, and a couple of dubious subplots attempt to subvert the predictability. John asks what it takes to be a man. Barbara justifies infidelity in the cause of saving her man. There is a twist, however, courtesy of our balladeer, that is a welcome diversion.

While the musical numbers follow a safe formula throughout, the second act fares better in terms of narrative flow. It’s a neat little fable, with a good deal of darkness within. This production doesn’t plumb the depths, but it does seem to have fun on its shallow surface. There is a Glam Rock versus Hillbilly duel going on, and the devil has all the best tunes, as usual. There are moments of magic but, unlike the protagonists, you won’t be spellbound.

Tag Archives: Charing Cross Theatre

JEEVES TAKES CHARGE

★★★

Charing Cross Theatre

JEEVES TAKES CHARGE

Charing Cross Theatre

★★★

“Wooldridge’s staging is quite masterful”