There are four strong performances in I’m Sorry Prime Minister I Can’t Quite Remember at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, written and directed by Jonathan Lynn, following the passing of his co-writer of the the original series, Antony Jay. It’s a production courtesy of Built by Barn that's transferred from the Barn Theatre, Cirencester.
Enough laughs, witty dialogue and nostalgic references to keep you interested
Clive Francis, who appeared as a guest star in an episode of Yes Prime Minister, plays Sir Humphrey Appleby, opposite a skilful and hilarious performance by Christopher Bianchi as Jim Hacker. A new character is introduced in the form of Sophie, Hacker’s young care worker, played by Michaela Bennison. Between them there are some golden moments of physical comedy.
This final instalment in the saga of Hacker and Appleby is set in Hacker’s new residence, the master’s lodge at the fictional Hacker College, Oxford. Through the windows we can see a garden, rather unconvincingly displayed on LED screens. Instead of conveying mood or atmosphere, this is a generic scene of foliage with weather effects, communicating nothing that isn’t already said in the dialogue.
Lynn’s satire, which was so pertinent and sharp in its jabs at the government during the run of the TV series, now attempts to engage with present-day conversations about race, colonialism and LGBT rights. However, the dialogue meanders around the topics without saying anything new and with weak arguments all round.
When Hacker uses a deeply offensive slur, he is only lightly admonished by the stereotyped woke character of Sophie, a poorly-researched and reductive caricature, who simply comes off as annoying and overly sensitive and leaves us too shocked to laugh. It’s one of those moments that calls into question why this additional episode was thought to be a good idea. It seems as if Lynn is so concerned with being allowed to say whatever he wants that he doesn’t stop to question whether it’s actually worth saying.
The show aims to make the final chapter of two beloved long-running comedy characters a moving one, as well as funny. There is an undercurrent of the existential dread that comes with approaching the age of ninety, which is quite touching at points, but it never reaches the point of being truly compelling or heartbreaking.
Strangely, even as a live show in a theatre, it feels more like a sitcom than a play. Its structure is weak and there is no satisfying sense of resolution at the end. There are enough laughs, witty dialogue and nostalgic references to sustain interest but ultimately it lacks substance.
