Review: I'M SORRY, PRIME MINISTER, Richmond Theatre
A charming and nostalgic final chapter
Former Prime Minister Jim Hacker and former Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey are reunited in poignant and nostalgic fashion in Jonathan Lynn's I'm Sorry, Prime Minister, the final chapter for two characters so beloved from the TV series that made them British institutions.
The ex-PM Hacker, now afflicted by a litany of health issues, is master at an Oxford College named after him. Sir Humphrey has been dumped in a care home by his son and wants to work again to raise funds for a new place to live. When Hacker faces eviction from his role and grace-and-favour home, due to several unsavoury and politically incorrect comments, he turns to his old colleague to save him.
Lynn was one of the original co-writers of the TV series and also directs alongside Michael Gyngell, so he knows the characters inside and out. His production is now touring after a 2023 staging at the Barn theatre in Chichester and a West End run starring Griff Rhys Jones as Jim Hacker. Clive Francis returns from the West End run as Sir Humphrey and Simon Rouse takes on the role of Jim Hacker.
It's a charming cast. Rouse is full of bluster, imbecility and occasional panic, failing to see or understand why his views are problematic. Francis gives Sir Humphrey more grounding and he delivers his lines with razor-sharp wit, clearly enjoying his time in the role. Princess Donnough is even-handed and bristling with intelligence as Hacker’s young care worker, Sophie, who is also Black and gay - "how very modern" says Hacker.
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Photo Credit: Johan Persson
Sophie is a useful, if sometimes clunkily used, plot device to portray the modern voice who constantly challenges the staid and out-of-date views of old white men. The entitled superiority of the two men contrasts starkly with the thoughtfulness of Sophie whose council state upbringing has inbued her with grace, empathy and little deference for the old guard. It gives Lynn a chance to explore issues of free speech, wokery and even (groan) Brexit. It certainly doesn't have anything new to say about political correctness and cancel culture, but it is an entertaining and often very funny reminder how the values and ideas of different generations can clash.
Lee Newby’s convincingly cluttered, living room set, is incredibly detailed. Political biographies line the tall shelves and the gleaming spires of Oxford can be seen through the sash windows at the back of the set, showing rain, snow and the changing light outside. A working stair-lift betrays Hacker's physical limitations, plus the fact he needs Sophie to put on his socks.
The show gently questions what happens to those who were once at the apex of power. Age comes to us all and the production's examination of how older people can feel completely left behind and perplexed by the modern world is poignant and thoughtfully handled.
There is a slow-moving quality to the show, perhaps reflecting the ages of the central characters and could easily be adapted into a radio play, as there is so little physical movement. In the same vein, Lynn's satire is not quite as cutting as it once was and the ending is a little mawkish, but this is a warm, nostalgic and entertaining show and a fitting tribute to the iconic TV series.
I'm Sorry, Prime Minister is at Richmond Theatre until 30 May, then touring until 1 August
Photo Credits: Johan Persson
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