Tuesday, March 4, 1997
THEATER:
Show relies on spoken dialogue, makes West Coast debut tonightBy
Cheryl Klein
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
It’s a good thing that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s name is in bold
letters at the top of the "By Jeeves" playbill. Otherwise,
audiences might not recognize the new comedy as the work of musical
theater’s most prolific composer.
"By Jeeves" skips the historical hugeness of "Evita," the
larger-than-life quality of "Sunset Boulevard" and relies on spoken
dialogue, unlike the sung-through "Cats" or "Phantom of the
Opera."
So perhaps it is appropriate that "By Jeeves," based on P.G.
Wodehouse’s stories of a rich but dim Englishman and the butler who
constantly outwits him, stages its West Coast premiere tonight at
the Geffen Playhouse. The small theater may provide a perfect
setting for the playful simplicity of "By Jeeves."
"It’s the most different piece (Webber) has written," says John
Scherer, who plays the lead role of Bertie Wooster. "It’s kind of a
hybrid between period music and Andrew Lloyd Webber pop music."
Set roughly in the 1930s, "By Jeeves" seems vaguely reminiscent
of a "Fawlty Towers" episode. Jeeves, Wooster’s butler, sets up an
evening of chaos when he steals his master’s banjo and replaces it
with a frying pan. Instead of the planned banjo concert, Wooster is
forced to recount various stories from his life to entertain the
audience. This sets up a series of flashbacks that draw in other
characters.
"The whole thing about Jeeves and Wooster is that they’re
archetypal characters. It’s the upper class guy who’s the idiot and
the servant who has all the brains," Scherer says.
"They say you have to be really brilliant to play an idiot,"
says Emily Loesser, who plays the manipulative Stiffy Byng.
"That’s right. And I think I am," Scherer jokes. "Yeah,
right."
After just a day of rehearsal in Los Angeles, Scherer and
Loesser are still feeling out the new location. Seated in a side
room of the cottage-like Geffen Playhouse, the actors find the
atmosphere intimate and casual. Yet, Scherer reveals that the tiny
Connecticut theater where "By Jeeves" just finished its East Coast
run makes the Geffen look like the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
"There was only one entrance that you could make for the whole
audience," Scherer says of the Connecticut location. "So when
latecomers came in during the show, they’d come in across the front
of the stage … Fortunately, it was the kind of show where you can
use that. So I used to usher them in or just make faces and
embarrass them. I humiliate myself enough, so I figured I’d share
it."
Embarrassed or not, the East Coast audience loved the play.
Despite a distinctly British tone to the musical, Americans rallied
around "By Jeeves" even before it reached the United States.
While Scherer was in "Sunset Boulevard" on Broadway, he met
Webber and got to hear about the English production of "By Jeeves"
first hand.
"We were talking about it and he said that during the summer
already there were a lot of Americans coming to see ‘By Jeeves’
over in London’s West End," Scherer says.
Both New York-based actors are positive about the West Coast
run, but admit to a certain degree of culture shock.
"There are so many movie theaters," Loesser says of Los Angeles.
"I was thinking about how a live theater can survive amid all other
forms of entertainment."
Scherer points out a prime illustration of Los Angeles’ film
emphasis. "In the L.A. paper, the movie section always comes first
and the theater stuff is listed in the back. But in New York, it’s
the exact opposite."
Scherer says he appreciates Southern California’s laid-back
atmosphere, which added to a much-needed five-week vacation between
runs. Wooster is in all but one scene and playing such an animated
character can be exhausting.
"The energy I get is really from other people," Scherer says.
"Sometimes it’s hard to get it going in the beginning, but once
things start happening it just becomes like a ping pong
machine."
He adds that a love song called "Half a Moment," which Loesser’s
character sings, is his favorite part of the play.
"I know why," Loesser pipes up.
"I get to sit down for like one of the only times," Scherer
says. But he adds: "It’s the most beautiful song in the show and
will probably become the standard of the show."
In bringing "By Jeeves" to the stage, the cast and crew had a
lot of material to look to, including the original stories and a
BBC series.
Scherer studied his television counterpart, but Loesser laughs,
"I never watched the videos. I should have because I like to steal
things."
Yet, Scherer says the musical version of Wooster is much more
energetic than the rather languid original. He attributes changes
in character interpretation and much of the play’s success to
director Alan Ayckbourn. Ayckbourn wrote the book and lyrics and
has been an integral part of all the productions so far.
"There is a playfulness in the piece that really is his essence.
It’s very childlike  to hold on to that part of yourself as
you go through the world, especially in this business that can just
mash you," Scherer says. "He coaxes things out of people. I don’t
think I’ve ever heard him raise his voice. Ever."
Scherer explains that this attitude lends itself to the
lighthearted nature and old-fashioned comedy of "By Jeeves."
"The piece is actually quite complicated," Scherer says. "But he
really gives it the appearance of being easy."
THEATER: Previews of "By Jeeves" begin March 4 with the official
opening March 12. The play will run through April 6. Tickets range
from $22 to $40. Student rush tickets are also available. For more
information, call the Geffen Playhouse at 208-5454 or Telecharge at
(800) 233-3123.
Diane Sobolewski
"By Jeeves," Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical, begins Tuesday
at the Geffen Playhouse.