Yes, Prime Minister Writer vs The Critics

The co-writer of Yes, Prime Minister Jonathan Lynn has hit back at critics who have given the Australian premiere of his stage version the thumbs down.

The theatre critic for the Melbourne Age Cameron Woodhead gave it one star.

“Unfortunately, everything goes wrong. The production doesn't seem to get that Yes, Prime Minister works as comedy because it works first as drama, that it endures because characters like these in situations like the ones they encounter are very, very real.

“The performances here are at worst bare caricature, as with Phillip Quast's flimsy Sir Humphrey. It's a huge disappointment to see Quast waddling about looking discombobulated, like some overstuffed old-boy who's been dressed by his mother.”

Speaking to Stage Whispers Jonathan Lynn said, “I don’t read reviews. I couldn’t care less. An artist’s attitude to a critic is more or less the same attitude that a lamp post should have to a dog.

“There is nothing you can do about it but the public is turning out in force and they are loving it.

“That is one person’s opinion. I don’t know what his problem. It doesn’t bother me very much.

“Adam Hills, who has an audience of 1.6 million (compared The Age’s readership of 100,000) really loved the show…and already said so in public. There is no show that everybody likes. ”

Jonathan Lynn said he does not have much time for critics.

“They are a few self-important people who think that because their opinion is printed… it is more important that anybody elses.  I had never heard of The Age and sure I won’t be reading it when I leave here.”

“A critic has a role to report on the event; to inform. They are reporters, they don’t have time to consider content and there is usually no element of literary criticism.  They are very seldom an expert on acting or writing or any other aspects of theatre. Their obligation should be to report on how much the audience liked it.”

But what about good reviews? Are they OK, we asked?

“If it was glowing I would have welcomed it because it would have sold some more tickets.”

A full interview with Jonathan Lynn will appear in the March April edition of Stage Whispers. 

Our review will appear later in the week.

To keep up with the latest news and reviews at Stage Whispers, click here to like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.