After the last play I went to turned out to be a “comedy” about the effects that someone dying of cancer has on their wife and friends, I was a bit cautious about going back to the theatre. But this week, Malvern Theatres was showing Yes Prime Minister, and I really enjoyed the TV series years ago, so I was keen to go. I read the online reviews carefully before booking – once bitten and all that – and was pleased to see that there was no cancer, or indeed terminal illness of any sort involved in the plot. So I booked myself a ticket to the Saturday matinée, which was a complete sell-out.
In fact, the writers have completely updated the Yes Prime Minister that I remembered. It’s now set in the age of a minority/coalition government, with a plot about getting a huge loan from a dodgy oil-rich ex-soviet republic, but with some very sleazy preconditions attached. It was very funny indeed in places, and the actors had to keep pausing so that they could be heard above the howls of laughter. I was pleased to see that the main characters were still the same – and Sir Humphrey was just as silver-tongued and manipulative as I had expected.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself. And the added bonus of going to the matinée was that I was home in time to spend the evening watching Mamma Mia on the box. Yes, it’s a load of rubbish, but a load of rubbish starring Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, both trying to sing……… There are times when it’s good to be self-indulgent for a change, and I reckon that was a good excuse!
