If you appreciate Shakespeare, think the finest form of comedy is witty wordplay, believe that Blackadder is a masterpiece of British television, and can get to London before 25 April, you need to book tickets to The Upstart Crow.
Now.
You probably shouldn’t even finish reading this review. Because if you don’t catch this masterpiece’s short run you will miss one of the most gloriously funny, joyously silly yet fiercely intelligent productions to ever grace a London stage.
The Blackadder reference is intentional, as this gem is written by that series’ scribe, Ben Elton, and he’s on top form here. And like the earlier historical romp, Upstart Crow started life as a TV series. This is not, however, one of those screen-to-stage copies that West End producers turn to when looking for quick profits (Mamma Mia, Pretty Woman) but an entirely new work.
We’ve moved on from the TV show’s Elizabethan period to the new regime of James I, where Shakespeare needs to prove himself afresh. Naturally, his creative juices are running dry and much merriment ensues to get them flowing.
We’re treated to the familiar leads from the original series. David Mitchell returns as the insecure, callous but ultimately kind-hearted Bard, pinching ideas from those around him before falling into genius when the spirit strikes. It’s hard to believe this is Mitchell’s first appearance on stage: his live timing is perfect and he’s remarkably moving when the action briefly turns serious and he has to do the mad scene from Lear. Gemma Whelan reminds us why she’s one of Britain’s best young actresses, banishing memories of her as a rampaging, hard-ass pirate queen in Game of Thrones and the prim sister in Gentleman Jack to give us the sweet, clever and determined Kate, clearly Shakespeare’s muse.
History won’t allow Mark Heap to reprise his role as Shakespeare’s nemesis, theatre censor Robert Greene, as he was long dead by the Jacobean accession. So Heap comes back in a new role as a Puritan doctor channeling the spirit of Twelfth Night’s Malvolio. And Rob Rouse is back as servant, straight man and ego-pricker Bottom.
In the best Eltonian ... and Shakespearean ... tradition, the comedy alternates between farce, slapstick and brainy wordplay. While the extreme role reversals, physical pratfalls and very modern send-ups of public transport and political correctness will get a laugh out of anyone, there’s no denying that the better you know your Shakespeare, the funnier this play is. The Upstart Crow treats Shakespeare’s work not as a sacred canon but as a living larder of human creativity, where the brilliant and the bad, the strikingly original and the shamelessly copied, all live side-by-side.
The plot gleefully mashes up Twelfth Night, Othello, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear. For those who laboured over the plays at school, your efforts will be amply rewarded as you spot the jokes and chuckle at how one story slides into another. References to many other plays pop up, including jibes about the bad ones, the cheap plotting tricks and the plagiarism. Will’s constantly noting down lines that come out of other characters’ mouths that the Shakespeareans amongst us know will go on to become classics. There’s even an explanation of The Bard’s most enigmatic stage direction, complete with a dancing bear who almost steals the whole show.
This isn’t new, of course. Elton and Mitchell take a path well trodden, most notably by Tom Stoppard in Shakespeare in Love. One my favourite Doctor Who episodes in the David Tennant era springs to mind. But for pure, glorious, feel-good comedy, it’s never been done better than here.
I’d expect that much of this will eventually come to the small screen as elements of a fourth series. But there’s a magic on the live stage I doubt a filmed version will be able to capture. The communal joy of hundreds of people joining in belly-aching laughter. The actors playing to the audience. The wonderfully authentic Shakespearean set design. And the dancing bear. The dancing bear needs to be seen live.
What are you doing still reading this? Go book some tickets. Now!
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