Chichester Festival Theatre’s production Yes, Prime Minister is to transfer to London later this year, with original cast members Henry Goodman and David Haig reprising their roles.
Written by the original creators of the classic BBC series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, the production marks the 30th anniversary of the BAFTA winning series which first aired in 1980. After a sell-out run earlier this year in Chichester, the satirical comedy will open on 17 September at the Gielgud theatre.
Yes, Minister centres on the now famous Prime Minister Jim Hacker and Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby. Facing a country in financial meltdown, the only prospect of salvation comes from morally dubious allies, leading to deliciously comic consequences.
Haig returns to politics after his recent run in BBC comedy The Thick Of It to play the hapless Prime Minister. A successful actor on both screen and stage, Haig’s West End credits include Donkeys’ Years, Loot, Mary Poppins and Hitchcock Blonde, with the actor well known for his role in TV series The Thin Blue Line, Channel 4 drama Mo and the popular film Four Weddings And A Funeral.
Playing the controlling Sir Humphrey Appleby, Goodman was most recently seen on the London stage in Duet For One at the Almeida and Vaudeville theatres. A Laurence Oliver Award winner, his theatre credits also include Fiddler On The Roof, Feelgood and Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins. On screen, the actor has appeared in The Damned United and Taking Woodstock.
Yes, Minister is directed by Lynn whose career as a director, screenwriter, producer and actor spans four decades. As well as his success alongside Jay with Yes, Minister, he has directed films including The Whole Nine Yards, The Fighting Temptations and My Cousin Vinny.
Hair, which is currently running at the Gielgud theatre, announced it would close on 4 September earlier this month.
CM