A visit to the Geffen Playhouse is always a treat. It’s intimate, historic and cozy, without a bad seat in the house.
We stopped off at Westwood’s Tanino restaurant, where celebrity chef Tanino Drago hopped from table to table, greeting guests and offering up plump, fresh porcini mushrooms.
After a delicious meal of pasta and stuffed zucchini blossoms filled with ricotta cheese, we strolled over to the Geffen for the opening night of “Yes, Prime Minister.”
After a very successful run in the U.K., playwright and director Jonathan Lynn decided to bring the story stateside.
“We thought, let’s write a play on the series,” Lynn told Malibu Seen. “We just picked up where we left off. We had no problem. We did some updating but nothing really changed.”
What did change was a very classic British series, now starring a lot of yanks without a proper British accent. As a former U.K. resident, it was a bit tough to get my mind wrapped around the concept, but as they say, the play’s the thing.
According to Lynn, everything came together.
“It’s fundamentally about human nature,” he said. “And that’s why it has been such a hit.”
Lynn argues that the popularity of “Yes, Prime Minister” endures.
“We’d been asked since the series first aired more than 30 years ago if we would turn it into a stage play,” he explained. “In England this series is much like ‘Fraiser’ or ‘Friends.’ It’s always on the air, even all these years later.”
The script details the behind-the-scenes doings of the British government and stars Michael McKean in the title role with Jefferson Mays as his advisor.
The play revolves around politics when the fictional country of Kumranistan’s foreign secretary demands some varied sexual entertainment for the night. This leads to some great discussion over whether the hosts should put the royal helicopter into action to fly three prostitutes in to accommodate the official’s needs.
At a running time of more than two hours, the production could use a bit of editing, but the set design and staging made up for the lag.
Geffen Artistic Director Randall Arney was instrumental in bringing the show to the West Coast and is an admitted admirer.
“As far back as Shakespeare, the English have had an uncanny knack for dramatizing the foibles of their own political system, creating a microcosm for the larger world of politics, sex and deceit,” Arney said. “Having been a fan of the television show and subsequent stage adaptation, I jumped at the chance to bring the American premiere to Los Angeles.”
“Yes, Prime Minister” runs at the Geffen Playhouse through July 14.