logo
Wodehouse in Wonderland review – less than spiffing portrait of the artist as a light comedian

Wodehouse in Wonderland review – less than spiffing portrait of the artist as a light comedian

The Guardian3 days ago
Robert Daws has lots of previous form on PG Wodehouse: he has played in various Jeeves and Woosters through the ages, with Hugh Laurie, Stephen Mangan and Ian Carmichael. So he is steeped in Wodehouse's wonderland.
That shows in his ease with this one-man play about the comic writer. He is a natural as 'Plum', the affectionate name that Wodehouse went by. Premiering as a touring show some years ago, and directed by Robin Herford, it is well oiled enough if wooden and unadventurous in its storytelling.
It is the 1950s, Wodehouse is in his New York state home, writing another Jeeves and Wooster book. Wodehouse's wife Ethel ('Bunny') occasionally asks for a drink as an off-stage voice, while he writes letters to his beloved daughter 'Snorkles' (his affectionate name for Leonora).
That serves as a plodding form of exposition and backstory in William Humble's script, although Wodehouse tells us himself that he is not one for deep thinking so we do not get much of his inner world. There is a further framing device in the shape of an American biographer who wants to write Wodehouse's life story – he functions as another listener to whom Wodehouse can narrate his life and thoughts.
The humour is lukewarm and predictable, with many spiffings, top-holes and cricketing metaphors for good measure. Occasionally, he sings. You certainly learn things about Wodehouse's world but he does not turn into flesh and blood.
The play becomes more interesting when it touches on Wodehouse's controversial speeches in the second world war, recorded by the Nazis to be broadcast in the US. They followed his year-long internment and were taken in Britain as a sign of his complicity. It veers into darker territory still when we hear about his daughter's fate. But just as Wodehouse does not like depth, so this comes too late and is too quickly smoothed over. It makes for an anodyne drama with not nearly enough comic bite.
At Assembly George Square Studios, Edinburgh, until 24 August
All our Edinburgh festival reviews
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Giants rookie Jaxson Dart eyes $10MILLION penthouse after signing $17m deal
Giants rookie Jaxson Dart eyes $10MILLION penthouse after signing $17m deal

Daily Mail​

time3 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Giants rookie Jaxson Dart eyes $10MILLION penthouse after signing $17m deal

Now that Jaxson Dart has officially signed his first NFL contract with the New York Giants, he needs to find himself a place to live. The quarterback, who recently signed a four-year, $17million entry-level contract, now has to deal with finding a place to live in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world. In a video collaboration with Overtime, Dart was seen shopping for homes and apartments in New York City and neighboring New Jersey to find a place to call his own. He began in the community of Short Hills, New Jersey - on the same side of the river as the Giants' practice facility in East Rutherford. There, he toured a newly-built home valued at nearly $4million that came with rare features, ornate furnishings, and plenty of space for him to put roots down. Black and gold accents decorated the house - including in a kitchen with all black appliances, cabinetry, and countertops. Throughout the video, he spoke about some things that he's getting used to now that he lives in the Northeast - such as an E-Z Pass to help him bypass tollbooths. 'I don't even know that. I just drive by it every time. I'm like, what does this even mean?,' Dart said in the video. He also talked about his quarterback 'competition' with Jameis Winston behind probable starter Russell Wilson: 'Jameis is probably the funniest person I've ever been around. He's just, you know, genuinely just who he is and he's been great, you know, for me just being able to go into the facilities every day and learn from him. 'Same with Russ, you know, smart he is and he's just been around a lot of ball and he's had success and he's also faced adversity. So, being able to just talk through things with him and learn as much as I can.' Dart then went into the city - where he did some shopping along with his friends and members of his management team before heading back across the Hudson and into Jersey City to look at a $3.4m apartment. While the lavish layout and furnishings were enticing, some of the potential views were blocked by other buildings. After being shown some common areas, Dart was shown the common area for the whole building on the 34th floor. The Utah native then remarked that he'd like to purchase that common area to be his full-time residence. When asking someone who worked for the building if it was for sale, she said it wasn't. When pressed, the woman said it might cost Dart around $10million. After touring an apartment in Jersey City, Dart was enticed by the top-floor common area. Despite it not being for sale, he was quoted at $10million - over half his rookie contract value. Dart's real estate agent remarked that this might be a 'second contract purchase' - considering the rookie only earns $17m spread out over four years. But the confident Dart remarked, 'Just watch. Just watch me. Watch when I buy this s**t.' During Dart's first preseason game in Orchard Park against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, he got the start for New York and proved his worth early on. In the second quarter, Dart lobbed up a pass for receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey - which landed perfectly in his stride into the end zone for a 28-yard completion. As Humphrey danced and his teammates ran over, Dart was fired up - shouting in celebration as he joined in on the fun. Dart had a very strong debut for the G-Men - completing 12-of-19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown while also tacking on three carries for 24 yards on the ground.

Eyewatering price of Travis Kelce's gameday outfit revealed as Chiefs star sits out preseason matchup
Eyewatering price of Travis Kelce's gameday outfit revealed as Chiefs star sits out preseason matchup

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Eyewatering price of Travis Kelce's gameday outfit revealed as Chiefs star sits out preseason matchup

Fans are going wild after the price of Travis Kelce 's outfit at a preseason game for the Kansas City Chiefs has been revealed. Known for bringing his own sense of style before each game, Kelce arrived in Glendale, Arizona for a matchup against the Cardinals. Now, the exact pricetag for the ensemble that Kelce put together has been revealed via the X account @StyleByKelce. Kelce wore a black polo shirt, black pants, and black shoes - with sunglasses and a silver necklace to accessorize. He finished things off by carrying a black duffle bag. All that totaled to the insane price of over $10,000 - all for a game that Kelce didn't even play in. The shoes were the cheapest item: a pair of Nike Air Force 1s with a Tiffany blue swoosh that ran him $400. After that, the sunglasses from Jacques Marie Mage cost $870 and the silver necklace from Louis Vuitton came out to $975. The polo he wore cost a stunning $1,450 - by far the most expensive thing he wore. But what truly sent the price tag over the edge was the black duffle bag from Bottega - with the leather piece valued at a stunning $6,400. To be specific, the blacked-out ensemble had a value of $10,095. While Kelce made the trip with the team, he did not make an appearance in the Chiefs' 20-17 loss to the Cardinals on Friday. Teammate Patrick Mahomes did play for one series - registering exactly one pass, one completion for one yard and one touchdown.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store