REVIEW: JEEVES TAKES CHARGE @ CHARING CROSS THEATRE

🎭 Jeeves Takes Charge

📍 Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, London, WC2N 6NL

🗓 Tuesday 18th August 2026

⭐️ 3 Stars

A STUNNING SOLO, A SO-SO SHOW

As the heatwave began to subside and just existing became more of an enjoyable experience, last night I headed into central London and the Charing Cross Theatre to check out this production of JEEVES TAKES CHARGE.

Entering the auditorium, the set looks quite basic as it's bathed in a wash of blue. Basic it was, but simple it wasn't. Caite Hevner’s set design features a smart, minimalist drawing-room frame that relies heavily on projection-mapped backdrops to establish its various high-society settings. It perfectly transitions from place to place, heavily aided by the brilliant video design, also by Hevner. The pictures and washes changing in themselves is wonderfully creative, and changing the picture frames to windows when on the train is pure genius. There's an element of fun to this, yet it's never silly. This all marries beautifully with Tim Mitchell's lighting design, making this piece a visual wonder.

The play itself is a rapid-fire comedy based on P.G. Wodehouse’s classic short stories - specifically pulling from Leave it to Jeeves and The Jeeves Omnibus. In this specific stage adaptation by James and Edward Duke, we follow the quintessential bumbling aristocratic blockhead, Bertie Wooster, as he finds himself trapped in an unwanted engagement to the formidable Lady Florence Craye. To save him from social ruin and the clutches of his terrifying Aunt Agatha, his brilliant, ultra-competent valet, Jeeves, must secretly pull the strings behind the scenes. It's a text that relies entirely on a relentless, machine-gun delivery of old-school British wit.

This is the first time I have personally seen these iconic characters in the flesh on stage. Here, all 22 characters are brought to life by the insatiable Sam Harrison, who is a literal force of nature. This is multi-rolling to the extreme, and Harrison embodies each of them with utter precision and believability. Switching characters with the mere spin of a heel or a sudden facial contortion, Harrison gives us a Bertie who is all loose-limbed, wide-eyed anxiety, contrasting beautifully against his portrayal of Jeeves, who stands as a pillar of rigid, deadpan, silver-service calm. His wonderful physicality is a masterclass in comedy. He morphs effortlessly from a gruff, booming aunt to a squeaky, nervous schoolboy without ever losing the breakneck rhythm of the text. He runs himself ragged for two hours, maintaining an unbelievable level of vocal and physical stamina that genuinely leaves you breathless just watching him. His performance alone is worth the ticket price.

The issue for me lies in the actual story itself. It's true that this adaptation of the story is very close to the original text, but the content is actually not that engaging. This takes nothing away from the performance, but I constantly found my mind wandering as I struggled to keep focus. The narrative lacks a real dramatic engine to keep you hooked, feeling more like a series of disconnected sketches stitched together rather than a cohesive play. It always seemed to be chasing laughs, which did come, just not in the frequency that the script seemed to want - apart from one guy sitting in the balcony who seemed to laugh loudly at the end of every sentence spoken! Regular readers of mine will know just how much importance I place on the central story in any theatrical production, and this is unfortunately what lets this show down.

The original stories were written in 1916, but I have to say this doesn't seem old-fashioned in any way. There's a bit of confusion, however, as the programme states the play is set in 2025, when it's obviously a period piece.

Also, the performance seemed quite quiet. I was sitting quite near the front so had no issue hearing, but I couldn't help but think that if I were seated further back I would have struggled. Harrison is working incredibly hard up there, but without any subtle mic amplification, a lot of the dialogue feels like it gets swallowed up by the cavernous, subterranean acoustics of the venue. His brilliance should be easily heard by everyone in attendance.

Thankfully, the energy peaked right at the very end. For the curtain call, Harrison took a bow as himself, before taking a bow as every single character he had played throughout the night, rapidly switching postures and expressions one last time, which was brilliant fun and a lovely nod to the sheer scale of his achievement.

Ultimately, I really didn't know how to feel at the end of the evening. I'm glad I've seen it. It was quite enjoyable, and had moments of real genius, but I don't think I'd be rushing back to see it again.

I would recommend it, based on Harrison's performance, and if you're interested in watching the play then CLICK HERE to book tickets. Performances of JEEVES TAKES CHARGE continue for a limited run at Charing Cross Theatre until Sunday 6th September.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair, and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.  

My ticket for this performance of Jeeves Takes Charge was gifted by ANR PR who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given. 

STARRING:

Sam Harrison

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hours, including interval

AGE RECOMMENDATION:

8+

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