Yes Prime Minister

Yes Prime Minister at Gielgud Theatre

Why see Yes Prime Minister?

THE NATION’S FAVORITE LONG-RUNNING SATIRE

During the Eighties Yes, Prime Minister was one of the most highly-regarded sitcoms and it is said that even Margaret Thatcher herself watched the show. The satirical take on British government was so popular that it crossed over into theatre, doing the rounds at theatres across the UK and making its West End transition at the Gielgud Theatre in 2010. It now takes to Trafalgar Square Studios; aptly just a stone's throw from Westminster.

The production has been updated with modern themes, seeing the ministers forced to deal with topical issues such as the European Union financial crisis and the exit of French president Nicholas Sarkozy. While original writers Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn intelligently modernize the current script, they retain the beloved and reviled characters that have become a recognisable hallmark of Britain's most popular political farce.

WHAT IS YES, PRIME MINISTER ABOUT?

The show opens with Prime Minister Jim Hacker and his team knee-deep in a political quandary. Head of a coalition government, Hacker faces the collapse of a European conference, the BBC highlighting his shortcomings and the discovery that the Chequers chef is an illegal immigrant – all whilst under the watchful eye of his permanent secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby.

To top it all off, the one man who could improve the PM's standings, the foreign minister of fictional country Kumranistan, wants the PM to procure him an underage prostitute for the evening or he'll pull out of a multi-million pound deal.

Key Information

Audience

Yes, Prime Minister is suitable for audiences aged 14 and upwards. Contains Adult themes.

Run Time

2 hours 20 minutes with one intermission.

Dates

Finished 19 Nov 2011

Cast

Michael Simkins as Sir Humphrey Appleby
Robert Daws as Jm Hacker
Charlotte Lucas as Claire Sutton
Chris Larkin as Bernard Woolley
Kevork Malikyan as The Kumranistan Ambassador
Michael Fenton Stevens as Simon Chestor, BBC Presenter
Jonathan Ccoote as Jeremy Burnham, Director General of the BBC

Creative

From the TV series by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn
Director - Jonathan Lynn
Design - Simon Higlett
Lighting - Tim Mitchell
Assistant Director - Tim Hoare
Casting - Garielle Dawes

Reviews

Customer reviews

12 reviews, average rating: (3.9 Stars)

Luca

Sensational

A very subtle yet ferociously funny play; I was in awe of all the actors, their performances truly taking the brilliance of the script to another level. I was very glad to see a full house; alas not many young people, for whom this should be compulsory viewing. This is an unmissable show, a genuine small masterpiece. I will definitely watch it again. ... Read more

Mme Butterfly

A truly brilliant night out!

Wasn't sure what to expect but spent two hours laughing and left the theatre on a high and wishing that there were more plays like these! The delivery and timing of these magnificent actors were quite sublime. Just a pity that there were so few youngsters in the audience. Is it, I wonder, the way in which the play has been portrayed in the media? Would love to see this again with my sons! ... Read more

Claire

Interesting, clever, funny, but not stunning.

I remember my Dad laughing at this show when I was a kid so (having enjoyed Enron the other week) I thought it might be fun to go and see the updated version. The funny bits were mostly funny, I didn't feel the urge to weep with laughter like my fellow reviewer above but some parts were amazingly well done - the rants, the double-speak and the Fawlty-esque breakdowns as well as the one-liners. These things are mainly in the delivery, and the actors were brilliantly cast. On the downside, one moral issue was re-hashed a dozen times and I'm not sure what it added after the first - serious point made, we get it, now move on already because you billed this as a comedy! The audience as a whole were getting uncomfortable after a while. The people sitting around me (in the cheap seats!) were mainly in their late twenties and thirties and, like me, probably there to laugh at the digs at politicians, financial crisis etc and not because they remembered the original programme. ... Read more
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