Wodehouse wonders and comedy capers come to Royal and Derngate

After a year in the West End and two successful tours, the award-winning hit comedy Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense heads to the Royal and Derngate in Northampton.

It runs from Monday, October 5 to Saturday October 10.

Winning Best New Comedy at the 2014 Olivier Awards, the charmingly incompetent Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet Jeeves are brought to life in this highly acclaimed comedy by brothers Robert and David Goodale.

Based on, and adapted from, the established literary works of P.G. Wodehouse, Perfect Nonsense has starred Stephen Mangan, Matthew Macfadyen and Robert Webb.

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When a country house weekend takes a turn for the worse, Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker and also to steal a silver cow creamer from Totleigh Towers.

Naturally, the ever dependable Jeeves is there to prevent Bertie from making a fool of himself in front of a cast of Wodehouse’s finest characters.

Enjoy an evening of raucous comedy in the company of Gussie Fink-Nottle, Madeline Bassett, Sir Watkin Bassett, Dahlia Travers, Roderick Spode and Constable Oates.

The show, which has been a smash success, had slightly less illustrious origins.

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Robert Goodale, one of the writers of the show, said: “A little while ago, we did a one man show all based around Jeeves and Wooster and it went very well.

“I was then rang up by the producer a little while ago and said he thought there was an appetite for the show again so we went away and did it.”

It was during the re-reading of the material that he found the hook for the latest show.

Robert added: “I was reading one of the stories and it was like Bertie Wooster was telling the audience a story. It was all very theatrical and thought this created the perfect conceit for the show.

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“It was from there that Bertie Wooster would rely on Jeeves and reliably Jeeves would come to the rescue and provide all of the props and the scenery in order for Bertie Wooster to tell his story.

“We then thought that he would also hire an old faithful retainer to help play the other characters.

“We did a read of it and more readings of the show that we have written and the more and more people liked it. It was from there that I started to think we might have something.

“We then managed to get brilliant people to perform such as Stephen Mangan and John Gordon Sinclair and that was great.

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“It is a show which has vaudeville elements, elements of farce, some slightly pantomime elements.”

It will be unique for Robert as he will be playing one of the three roles in the show, that of the butler Seppings.

“I always knew there was going to be a chance that I would be in it at some point. I just have to put out of my mind that I have written the script and I can more or less.”

Tickets for the show cost between £19 and £30.50.

For further information or to book tickets in advance call the box office on 01604 624811 or alternatively by visiting www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

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