Jack Absolute Flies Again: a ‘crowd-pleasing comedy’ with an excellent cast
National Theatre production has the same ‘giddy abandon’ as One Man, Two Guvnors

“So, comic lightning does strike twice,” said Nick Curtis in the London Evening Standard. A decade ago Richard Bean created one of the National Theatre’s biggest ever hits by taking an 18th century classic comedy, The Servant of Two Masters, and reworking it as One Man, Two Guvnors, set in 1960s Brighton.
In conjunction with Oliver Chris, who starred in that show, Bean has now pulled off something “every bit as uproarious and ribald” by transposing Sheridan’s The Rivals from Regency Bath to a country house in Sussex, where an RAF squadron has been stationed during the Battle of Britain. It has the “same ungoverned humour, giddy abandon and metatheatrical playfulness” as One Man, Two Guvnors. But it is also “its own thing” – skewering “British class-consciousness and exceptionalism, as well as sexism, xenophobia and ‘warstalgia’”.
I found Guvnors wearying, said Clive Davis in The Times. But I loved this “joyous romp”, which is well anchored by Caroline Quentin’s “adorable, potty-mouthed” Mrs Malaprop. She has some wonderful moments, said Patrick Marmion in the Daily Mail, such as when she revives her character’s music-hall pre-history, singing with a soprano warble while accompanying herself on the ukulele.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In fact, the whole cast of this “crowd-pleasing comedy” is excellent, including Laurie Davidson as our “plucky pipe-sucking hero” Jack, who is in hot pursuit of Lydia (Natalie Simpson), a member of the resident Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. It’s pacily staged by director Emily Burns, and the dialogue is a “blizzard of bawdy Carry-On innuendo”.
I could have done with rather fewer “nudge-nudge wink-wink” gags and malapropisms, said Fiona Mountford in The Daily Telegraph. They became tiresome after a while. And although the script’s “arch knowingness” is amusing, it stops us caring about the characters.
Ultimately, the play has neither much emotional weight nor real satirical message, said Andrzej Lukowski on Time Out. It is “very funny”, but it’s no more “than the sum of its laughs”.
Olivier, National Theatre, London SE1 (nationaltheatre.org.uk). Until 3 September
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How military service works for K-pop idols
Under The Radar All seven members of K-pop sensation BTS have now completed mandatory national service
-
The Week contest: Flight fraud
Puzzles and Quizzes
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?
Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more
-
Film review: Materialists
Feature Two suitors seek to win over a jaded matchmaker
-
Music reviews: Haim, Addison Rae, and Annahstasia
Feature "I Quit," "Addison," and "Tether"
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach Boys
Feature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Grilled radicchio with caper and anchovy sauce recipe
The Week Recommends Smoky twist on classic Italian flavours is perfect to grill, drizzle and devour