Yes, Prime Minister at the Apollo Theatre – Round-up of Reviews

A round-up of reviews of Yes, Prime Minister at the Apollo Theatre starring Richard McCabe and Simon Williams.

The successful Chichester production of Yes, Prime Minister returns to the West End this summer until 17 September 2011.

Based on the hit 1980′s BBC sitcom by Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay, the writers have adapted their comedy for the stage featuring the political manoeuvrings of the PM and his wily Cabinet Secretary, covering issues from global warming and prostitution to the financial meltdown.

Yes, Prime Minister stars Richard McCabe as Prime Minister Jim Hacker and Simon Williams as Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby.

See a round-up of reviews for Yes, Prime Minister, below.

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Yes, Prime Minister – Save £10 on tickets

Save £10 on tickets to YES, PRIME MINISTER at the Apollo Theatre

Valid all performances except Saturday evenings until the 30th July. Must be booked by 31 May 2011

The hugely successful Chichester production of Yes, Prime Minister is making a welcome return to the West End this summer, from 6 July to 17 September 2011.

Based on the hit 1980′s BBC sitcom by Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay, the writers have adapted their comedy for the stage featuring the political manoeuvrings of the PM and his wily Cabinet Secretary, covering issues from global warming and prostitution to the financial meltdown.

Yes, Prime Minister will run at the Apollo Theatre in the West End from 6 July, starring Richard McCabe as Prime Minister Jim Hacker and Simon Williams as Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby.

The show recently won the 2011 Whatsonstage Award for Best New Comedy for its run at the Gielgud Theatre in 2010.

Save £10 on tickets to YES, PRIME MINISTER at the Apollo Theatre

Valid all performances except Saturday evenings until the 30th July. Must be booked by 31 May 2011

Yes, Prime Minister returns

The successful Chichester production of Yes, Prime Minister is making a welcome return to the West End this summer, from 6 July to 17 September 2011.

Based on the hit 1980′s BBC sitcom by Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay, the writers have adapted their comedy for the stage featuring the political manoeuvrings of the PM and his wily Cabinet Secretary, covering issues from global warming and prostitution to the financial meltdown

Yes, Prime Minister will run at the Apollo Theatre in the West End from 6 July, starring Richard McCabe as Prime Minister Jim Hacker and Simon Williams as Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby.

The show recently won the 2011 Whatsonstage Award for Best New Comedy for its run at the Gielgud Theatre in 2010, and will follow Thea Sharrock’s new production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit starring Alison Steadman into the Apollo Theatre.

Book tickets to Yes, Prime Minister at the Apollo Theatre in London

The Award-Winning Comedy Yes, Prime Minister Returns To The West End Starring Simon Williams And Richard Mccabe

Mark Goucher, Wimpole Theatre and Matthew Byam Shaw for Playful Productions present Yes, Prime Minister.

Following a sell-out run in the West End and a triumphant tour of the UK, Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay’s hit production will return to the West End, this time to the Apollo Theatre for a strictly limited season from 6 July 2011.

Winning the Whatsonstage.com award for Best New Comedy, the recession-busting West End production of Yes, Prime Minister recouped the entire cost of its run within five weeks of opening, taking over £2.5 million by mid-November, and just under £4 million overall, proving that there is always an appetite for quality comedy.

Following the UK-wide tour, acclaimed English actor Simon Williams (Sir Humphrey Appleby) and Olivier Award-nominee Richard McCabe (Prime Minister Jim Hacker) will reprise their roles in the West End this summer.

Best known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, Simon also appeared in three series of the sitcom Don’t Wait Up as Dr. Charles Cartwright and in the medical drama Holby City as Sir Charles Merrick from 2000-2003. Throughout his career, Williams has appeared on stage in numerous productions, most recently in David Hare’s production of The Power of Yes at the National Theatre.

As an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) since 1997, Richard McCabe is one of the UK’s most distinguished actors. He has performed in numerous productions for the RSC, National Theatre, Barbican and performed in playhouses throughout the country. He recently appeared at the Chichester Festival Theatre in Bingo: Scenes of Money and Death alongside Patrick Stewart and the double bill of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound and Richard Sheridan’s The Critic. McCabe’s recent TV roles include BBC One’s Wallander and Spooks.

Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, the original writers of the classic TV series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister have reunited for this anniversary production which has received universal critical and public acclaim on tour and during both its initial season at Chichester Festival Theatre and its first West End run at the Gielgud Theatre. The production continues to play to capacity audiences around the country.

Prime Minister Jim Hacker and Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby face a country in financial meltdown. The only prospect of salvation comes from morally dubious allies – leading to deliciously comic consequences.

Antony Jay has enjoyed a distinguished career as writer, broadcaster and producer. He was founder and editor of the BBC’s legendary Tonight programme, is the editor of The Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations, and author of Elizabeth R and two acclaimed documentaries on the Royal Family. He is a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

Jonathan Lynn’s prolific career spans more than four decades as a director, screenwriter, producer and actor in films, television and theatre, as well as best-selling author and novelist. As well as co-writing, he will be directing this stage version of Yes, Prime Minister. His film credits as director include The Whole Nine Yards, The Fighting Temptations, The Distinguished Gentleman, My Cousin Vinny and Nuns on the Run (which he also wrote).

Jay and Lynn’s BAFTA award-winning political comedy Yes, Minister first aired on BBC2 in 1980 and ran until 1984. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister ran from 1986 until 1988. Lynn and Jay also wrote three novels, The Complete Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, Volumes 1 and 2, which cumulatively sold more than a million copies in hardback, were on the British top-ten bestseller list for three years and have been translated into numerous languages.

The West End transfer of the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Yes, Prime Minister is produced by Mark Goucher (The Vagina Monologues, The Complete Works of Shakespeare), Wimpole Theatre (Whipping It Up, A Christmas Carol) and Matthew Byam Shaw (Frost Nixon, Flare Path, Boeing, Boeing) for Playful Productions.

Release issued by: The Corner Shop PR

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Opening This Week in the West End

It’s an eclectic mix of shows that are opening this week in the West End, as the autumn season of new productions begins apace. From Wonder Woman to Michael Gambon via Noel Coward and Sebastian Faulks, there’s something for everyone.

On Tuesday 14 September, Les Miserables returns to the Barbican Theatre, where it all began 25 years ago. A brand new production of Boublil and Schonberg’s legendary musical has been touring the UK to celebrate its 25th anniversary and completes its run at the Barbican – but for only 22 performances. The show features a dynamic young cast including Gareth Gates.

Noel Coward is never far from the West End, and Wednesday 15 September sees the opening night of Design for Living at the Old Vic Theatre in Waterloo. Anthony Page directs Coward’s 1932 comedy about the complicated three-way relationship between two men and a woman. The play stars Tom Burke (Telstar), Andrew Scott (Lennon Naked) and Lisa Dillon (Cranford) and runs until 27 November.

On the same day Krapp’s Last Tape starts previews at the Duchess Theatre starring one of Britain’s most accomplished actors, Michael Gambon. The Dublin Gate Theatre transfer of Samuel Beckett’s classic enjoyed rave reviews at the Gate directed by Michael Colgan. The 50 minute show is playing two shows a night, keeping Mr Gambon nicely occupied.

On Friday 17 September  the fabulous Lynda Carter, aka Wonder Women, pops to town for two shows of her Lynda Carter: At Last solo sing-fest. Best known to millions as TV superhero Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter: At Last is a musical evening to celebrate her recent solo album. Following dates in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, Lynda Carter will appear in London on 17 and 18 September 2010 at the Garrick Theatre.

Also on Friday, the Chichester Festival Theatre’s sell-out production of Yes, Prime Minister starts previews at the Gielgud Theatre starring Henry Goodman and David Haig. The original writers of the BBC series, Antony Jay & Jonathan Lynn, have reunited for this hilarious 30th anniversary production, promising much topical wit and political spin-doctoring: Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey Appleby are back and this time to face the country in financial meltdown!

The following day, Saturday 18 September, Trevor Nunn is back in the West End directing Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of the best-selling Sebastian Faulks novel Birdsong. The play starts previews at the Comedy Theatre starring British movie star Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia), Nicholas Farrell, Iain Mitchell, Genevieve O’Reilly and Lee Ross, and tells the moving story of one man’s journey through an all consuming love affair and into the horror of the First World War.

BOOKING INFO

Book tickets to Design for Living at the Old Vic Theatre

Books tickets to Les Miserables 25th anniversary production at the Barbican Theatre

Book tickets to Krapp’s Last Tape at the Duchess Theatre

Book tickets to Yes, Prime Minister at the Gielgud Theatre

Book tickets to Birdsong at the Comedy Theatre

Book tickets to Lynda Carter: At Last at the Garrick Theatre

West End Star Watch: Update

Our regular round-up of theatre names hitting town or making the news. This issue includes Alison Steadman, Jenny Galloway, Catherine Zeta-Jones, David Haid, Robert Lindsay and Anthony Sher.

ALISON STEADMAN

Director of the moment Thea Sharrock, who enjoyed rave notices last week for her new production of Terrence Rattigan’s After the Dance at the National Theatre, will turn to Noel Coward later this year.

A new production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit will materialise at the Theatre Royal Bath and then transfer to the Apollo Theatre from 2 March 2011 starring award-winning actress Alison Steadman (Gavin and Stacey) as Madame Arcati.

No stranger to Blithe Spirit, Sharrock directed a 2004 production of the play at the Savoy Theatre starring Penelope Keith. The Noel Coward classic has had numerous UK revivals in the last few years. The director told Baz in the Daily Mail that, “You cannot really mess with those old boys  -  the structure is so particular”. Indeed.

The only question is, will Rupert Everett reprise his recent Broadway performance as Charles Condomine for the production?

JENNY GALLOWAY

Amongst many standout performances in Thea Sharrock’s production of After the Dance is that of Jenny Galloway as Miss Potter, an actress who is s one of the most accomplished stars you’ve (probably) never heard of. She has recently been cast in Cameron Mackintosh’s enormous 25th anniversary concert version of Les Miserables at the O2 Arena on 3 October playing Madame Thénardier, a role she played in the London and New York productions.

Galloway’s career spans musicals and plays including two Olivier Award winning performances – as Rosie in Mamma Mia! (2000) and Luce in The Boys from Syracuse (1992). She also originated the role of Mrs Brill in Mackintosh’s production of Mary Poppins – in London and Broadway – and recently appeared in the Donmar in the West End’s production of Madame De Sade with Judi Dench.

DAVID HAIG

The great migration of classic TV shows to stage (see Porridge, Inspector Morse, Dad’s Army etc) shows no sign of abating. Jenny Galloway’s fellow Mary Poppins cast mate David Haig, who originated the role of Mr Banks in the show, will be back in London this Autumn in a stage production of TV classic Yes, Prime Minister.

Haig plays Prime Minister Jim Hacker in the Chichester production that will run at the Gielgud Theatre from 17 September, penned by the show’s original TV writers Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. The comedy will also star Henry Goodman as Sir Humphrey Appleby.

ANTHONY SHER

A big name he may be, but Anthony Sher is not averse to playing the odd small venue: he will debut in Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass at the Tricycle Theatre from 30 September, directed by Iqbal Khan. Let’s hope it also transfers to the West End to follow the current Arthur Miller success in town – All My Sons at the Apollo Theatre starring David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker.

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES

Anthony Sher’s cousin, Ronald Harwood, received a knighthood this week in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his enormous contribution to stage and screen writing, including classic theatrical play The Dresser. Congrats also go to Catherine Zeta-Jones who has been appointed a CBE. Currently wowing them on Broadway in A Little Night Music, here’s hoping this week proves a double-success for Mrs Michael Douglas and she wins a Tony award tonight for her performance in the show.

ROBERT LINDSAY

The Novello Theatre will see out Tap Dogs in September and follow with Onassis on 30 September starring Robert Lindsay. He will resurrect his performance as Aristotle Onassis in Martin Sherman’s play Onassis following a run in Derby. Based on the last years of the controversial Greek tycoon, the play was originally produced as Aristo at Chichester to mixed reviews but with glowing praise for Lindsay’s performance. Sherman and director Nancy Meckler have subsequently rewritten the piece.

The cast will also include Tom Austen, Liz Crowther, Ben Grove, Robert Hastie, John Hodgkinson, Sue Kelvin, Graeme Taylor and Gawn Grainger.