When you go to see a play called “Perfect Nonsense”, you can expect some perfect nonsense. However, apart from the theme, which was perfectly nonsensical, last evening’s play was far from that!
Daughter No 1 had gifted Hubby Dear and me two tickets to the much touted West End production currently playing at the NCPA, South Mumbai’s multicultural hub situated at the end of Marine Drive. I was excited as this was my first ever West End play and I could hardly wait to see it.
PG Wodehouse is a name familiar with most people of my generation who have seen their fathers chuckling over the antics of Bertie Wooster and his inimitable butler Jeeves but for the younger generation, he remains just another author catching dust on daddy’s bookshelf. Sadly, the world has moved on since Jeeves&Wooster and in the age of Internet, Wodehouse’s stories seem quite childish and contrived. If truth be told, the first half of the play was pretty slow. I had to nudge Hubby Dear as he began to snore in the first 10 minutes. Was it the crisp British accent that took some getting used to ? However, the sparkling wit comes through and with the help of some clever props and brilliant stagecraft, “Perfect Nonsense” is saved from being perfectly nonsensical.
Bertie Wooster, the lovable gentleman at large, is asked by his aunt Dahlia to pinch a silver cow creamer from her husband’s arch rival silverware collector Sir Watkin Bassett, failing which he will forever be banned from her dinner parties. Wooster is providentially invited to Totleigh Towers by his friend Gussie Fink-Nottle who happens to be engaged to the daughter of the house, Madeline Bassett to help iron out some difficulties that cropped up in their relationship. In a series of scrapes involving characters like Stephanie Bing and Roderick Spode among others, he ( with a lot of help from Jeeves) , succeeds in ironing out the complications and regains favour with Aunt Dahlia.
What is spectacular about this play is the simply clever way in which it is presented: there are just three actors pulling off this comedy with some exceedingly clever props and costume changes. It was in the end, pure, clean old fashioned humour. Indeed, it was an afternoon well spent . What a way to start a weekend.
I’m sharing this with members of the Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge
