Jack Absolute Flies Again – National Theatre, London

A review of Jack Absolute Flies Again, a reworking of Sheridan’s The Rivals, by Richard Bean and Oliver Chris. A rollicking romp set in a commandeered WWII airfield.

The Rivals Reborn

Long-time readers will know that I actually quite like walking in as an unprepared audience member. No prior assumptions, just taking things as they come. On this occasion, I have never seen Sheridan’s The Rivals. Didn’t even know that this new play is based on it. About all I could contribute is having heard of Mrs Malaprop and her malapropisms. But did this impede my evening out at the National Theatre? Certainly not!

If you, like me, know very little about The Rivals, let me help enlighten you (sort of). Confusingly it’s referred to as a Restoration comedy in the programme and various reviews, but was written in 1775 (about a century after the Restoration). You don’t even need to know much about about the plot – it’s a classic comedy with entangled love stories, asides to the audience, mistaken identities etc., and then everything turning out fine in the end. Mrs Malaprop is definitely the most famous thing about it.

This new version, by Richard Bean and Oliver Chris who previously worked together as writer and actor on One Man, Two Guvnors, takes largely the same story and updates it. Although doesn’t update it all the way to a contemporary setting. No, Jack Absolute Flies Again is set in a nostalgic, Keep Calm and Carry On airfield on the requisitioned grounds of a stately home during the Battle of Britain.

A lot of elements from The Rivals are still recognisable here. Many main characters are the same (Mrs Malaprop is played by Caroline Quentin – more malapropisms than the original and far dirtier). The interactions between the servants and other characters provide class commentary. There are disguises and mistaken identities. The lovers pair up in the end. There are also significant differences, apart from the setting. Not everyone makes it to a happy ending, for instance. But it largely sticks to the formula. This is both a positive and a negative. If you’re looking for an entertaining evening out, this is a great choice. If you’re looking for that class commentary to lead to anything serious, you’re out of luck.

Jack Absolute Flies Again

And therein lies the rub. Jack Absolute Flies Again is funny. Some scenes had the audiences in stitches. But in my opinion it doesn’t have enough substance to become a classic like The Rivals. Or a smash hit like One Man, Two Guvnors. But it is funny.

You see, Jack Absolute (Laurie Davidson) and his flying pals Roy Faulkland (Jordan Metcalfe), Bob ‘Wingnut’ Acres (James Corrigan, who we last saw in White Noise), and Tony/Bikram Khattri (Akshay Sharan) are on permanent high alert, distracting themselves as best they can between flying missions. Things are thrown into disarray when the RAF’s own Lydia Languish (Natalie Simpson, who we saw in The Death of a Black Man) arrives to deliver a new plane. She has a history with Jack, and not one but two of his pals fall head over heels for her. She, however, rather fancies dishy working class engineer Dudley Scunthorpe (Kelvin Fletcher). Much to the horror of maid Lucy (Kerry Howard), who fancies him too.

Add in a romance between Mrs Malaprop and Jack’s father Sir Anthony Absolute (Peter Forbes), and Roy and his first cousin Julia Melville (Helena Wilson, also White Noise), and you’ve got yourself a hilarious set up. The comedy is physical (courtesy of Toby Park for Spymonkey), and self-aware (mostly courtesy of asides to the audience). There’s also a great dance scene choreographed by Lizzi Gee. If the comedy is sometimes a little obvious (like James Corrigan’s Australian simpleton), it’s also sometimes clever (like maid Lucy’s awareness of her status as a plot device). Or surreal, like Tony/Bikram’s terrible poetry.

As I said earlier, this play is best for an entertaining evening out. Enjoy the slightly jingoistic nostalgia, with the comfort of knowing that everyone will be back with their own social class by the end of the play. No need to take things too seriously, it’s a comedy after all!

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5

Jack Absolute Flies Again on until 3 September 2022