When I was at uni, as the young say, I looked forward to seeing Jeeves in London. It was launched in 1975 and with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music, Plum’s wit and a helping hand from Alan Ayckbourn was a sure bet to run longer than The Mousetrap.
I hedged my bets by buying the LP and lucky I did. It was a musical that didn’t succeed, like Chess. By the time I went to London in 1976 it was history. After a few re-writes it was on Broadway in 2001 but I didn’t see it there either. Life is full of missed opportunities but unusually in this instance there’s a second chance. Lord Lloyd-Webber, for that is the monicker of that maestro of the Musical, lives in Hampshire and I have often almost trespassed on his manicured acres while walking twixt Kingsclere and Ashmansworth but that’s a digression. He is putting By Jeeves on his YouTube site, The Shows Must Go On, tomorrow evening (Friday 8th May) at 7.00 pm – Cocktail Time. It is only available for 48 hours so look slippy.
Excruciating!