Director’s Notes

I like a good farce. Crisp, clever, speedy, and surprising. All elements that make one want to laugh out loud and try to keep up as it moves along. The situations are not necessarily earth-shattering, and the peril to the heroes is not life-altering. However, it all matters to each character so intensely that they dance along the precipice of disaster until rescued at the last minute by fate, fortune or perhaps a clever valet.

A great farce tickles our funny bones and makes us think. P.G. Wodehouse is a master of language, combining the street slang of Edwardian England with the stylistic vocabulary of the upper crust. I had read some of the Jeeves & Wooster stories when I was younger, having the huge omnibus plunked onto the bedside table by my husband. I have also watched more than a fair share of Fry & Laurie’s’ interpretation of these two immutable characters. What I didn’t know was how much of a wordsmith P.G. Wodehouse was, he being compared to Shakespeare and having over 1750 quotes in the Oxford English Dictionary. He was a writer who wouldn’t put the story to the page without having painstakingly pored over the plot until there were no holes. He sought perfection and would deconstruct words because, of course, if someone could be “disgruntled”, it obviously must mean they could also be “gruntled”. His love for puns, simile, mixed metaphor and wordplay are woven intricately into this funny little play.

It has been a joy to work on this tantalizing gem with this wonderful group of performers, designers, crew, and artistic staff. We’ve had fun playing together and bringing to life this story. We hope you have fun tonight too. So, sit back, engage your funny bone, and join Jeeves in rescuing Wooster once again from the vagaries of life.

Kerri Norris Director, May 2023