By Jeeves, Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness

THE OLT celebrates its Silver Jubilee and continues to punch way above its weight with this revival of a somewhat unlikely collaboration of Alan Ayckbourn and Andrew Lloyd Webber and that most British of double acts Jeeves and Wooster.

PG Wodehouse is rightly celebrated across the world by comedians of all ages and genres and this seemed a sure fire hit when it made its West End and Broadway debut back in 1975. It wasn’t.

The OLT’s famous round is sacrificed to miraculously fit in the tightest double storey stage imaginable with protruding fabric of the building becoming part of the action as Bertie becomes embroiled in another complicated wheeze.

Sir Alan directs with wonderful irreverential aplomb that maximises the situation of Bertie’s Banjo Concert to which we, the audience are all participants. The 4th wall is breached in the opening scene and continues to be so throughout delightfully. The ongoing glorious use of various improvised props provides continual evidence of Jeeves and indeed Ayckbourn’s genius to compensate for Wooster and pals combined IQ of 42.

This is particularly evident in the utilisation of the best stage car ever, complete with speed blurred grass verges (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s infamously expensive and occasionally flying car pales into insignificance) and a relatively spectacular stunt again masterminded by Jeeves with a nod to Adam West’s Batman.

Lloyd Webber’s tunes are suitably twee and catchy throughout and mesh wonderfully with Sir Alan’s libretto. A superb example being a Jeeves rapping (yes that’s rapping) interlude brilliantly carried off by Bill Champion in a show stopping moment. Nadim Naaman is a tour de force as Wooster and the rest of the cast are superb and just as importantly look like they are having the time of their lives.

This is a laugh out loud musical ironically ahead of its time. The current success of Mel Brook’s Producers and Young Frankenstein and Trey Parker’s Book of Mormon and the perfection of this appropriately scaled down revival means that By Jeeves has finally found its time and indeed place.

MICHAEL FORREST

By Jeeves runs at the Old Laundry Theatre until November 4

Box office on 015394-40872