If you love the writings of PG Wodehouse, you may very well find yourself in paradise watching this virtuoso one-man performance by Robert Daws. ‘Wodehouse in Wonderland’ invites audiences into the carefully-curated private life of a much-loved author. The action takes place in Wodehouse’s study at his house in Long Island where he has settled with his wife and step-daughter after World War Two. Celebrated worldwide, hailed as a comic genius and happily domesticated, Wodehouse’s ordinary, affluent old age is unremarkable enough. But then a young American biographer starts asking him questions about his past. Amongst all of the cheerful bluff and humorous diversion, there appears the occasional cracks in his defensive walls… William Humble’s cleverly-structured biographical play slowly reveals to audiences glimpses of the man whose ‘Jeeves and Wooster’ stories have brought so much pleasure to so many people over successive generations.
I confess to allowing the joyful world of PG Wodehouse to enter my heart during childhood, where affection for his dazzling wit, cracking plots and beautifully pithy prose has remained ever since. This manifests itself in various ways, most notably in saying, “right-ho” (an affectation stolen directly from Bertie Wooster) or “indeed” (I’ll borrow that, thank you Jeeves), where most normal people would say “yes” – a habit dating back three decades and counting. An entire night’s entertainment filled with the archaic but alluring language of the inter-war period so compellingly evoked in PG Wodehouse’s writings was an opportunity I was not going to pass up on. Better yet, the author is personified by Robert Daws, who so memorably brought Drones Club regular Tuppy Glossop to life in the splendid Granada adaptations of ‘Jeeves and Wooster’ in the 1990s. It has to be said that Daws’ characterisation of Wodehouse is a million miles from that of the choleric, ruddy-cheeked Glossop. We had previously seen deliver “a performance of comic genius” on stage in ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ some years ago, which has lived long in the memory. It was a treat to see him take on this part, which showcases Daws’ brilliant comic timing but also the vulnerability and humanity of PG Wodehouse. He seems to have an innate understanding of the man and his world, and he conveys it with great skill to his audience.
Playwright William Humble introduces songs penned by Wodehouse that reflect or lighten the mood, and they are carried off with excellent physicality and with fine voice by Robert Daws. As they are in the style of Ivor Novello or Cole Porter, the musical interludes give the show a lightness of touch and a comedy review atmosphere that belies the increasingly truthful psychological profile of the author that unfolds on stage. Without giving away too many spoilers, it’s after the interval that Wodehouse drops his defences and begins to reveal his innermost thoughts. We learn more about his childhood (there’s a reason why he created so many fearsome aunts who eat glass bottles for breakfast), his profound grief over the loss of a loved one, and about his notorious wartime broadcasts whilst enduring internment by the Nazis in France. Is Wodehouse living in America because he loves the country, or because he is in exile?
Humble doesn’t impose an answer to such questions on the audience, but he certainly, and probably rightly, takes a sympathetic view of his subject. In one clever twist, we learn how the author lives in his own neatly-ordered fantasy world, pushing away painful reality in order to maintain his sense of self. We learn too of the opinions literary giants had of Wodehouse. The words Humble gives to Wodehouse suggests that he always knew he was old-fashioned, but he was never pretentious or pretended to have anything profound to say. He simply wanted to make readers worldwide laugh. And what is wrong with that?
‘Wodehouse in Wonderland’ successfully gets under the skin of an author whose character Jeeves never had to come through doors, he simply appeared, and whose world is that of an England where the sun is always shining and never sets without first asking permission. It is a gently probing analysis of why an unsurpassed comic author, perhaps the funniest novelist who has ever lived, came to construct such a world around him, despite the enormous societal changes he lived through. It invites audience members to ponder why the world of Wodehouse and all of his extraordinary comic characters is so compelling. At one point, Wodehouse expresses outrage at the vulgar new musical ‘My Fair Lady’. It is no throwaway line, but out of many glimpses of a private man that builds into a holistic picture.
The only downside of this biographical play is that if you aren’t a fan of the work of PG Wodehouse and steeped in the adventures of ‘Jeeves and Wooster’ then ‘Wodehouse in Wonderland’ will simply leave you baffled. We also found that it saves its best material for after the interval, with perhaps a shade too much detail in the first half. But for fans of the great author’s work, ‘Wodehouse in Wonderland’ is charming and magical. Robert Daws’ top-hole performance is timed to perfection and is an unremitting joy to witness.
‘Wodehouse in Wonderland’ is only playing at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, for another few nights, so don’t delay. But you can catch it on tour at other venues across the country until late April.
Cast: Robert Daws Director: Robin Herford Writer: William Humble Theatre: The Churchill, Bromley Running time: 110 mins Performance dates: 9th – 11th March 2023 Buy tickets for ‘Wodehouse in Wonderland’
