OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 27 March 2008

Johnson and Boswell: Late But Live!

MY FIRST acquaintance with the wit of Samuel Johnson was while climbing in Glencoe, when I learned he had described the Buachaille Etive Mor, the spectacular peak that stands at the head of Glen Coe as, “merely a considerable protuberance.” I decided that anyone whose wit could humble a mountain must be worth getting to know and have delved into his writings ever since.

It was this interest that took me to see Stewart Lee’s play, Johnson and Boswell: Late But Live. It originally found its way on stage at the Edinburgh Fringe and has been touring successfully ever since. Had Johnson been alive today it seems likely that he would have been a stand up comedian.

His wit and talent for one-liners would have brought him considerable success and, perhaps, his own late night chat show in the manner of Jonathan Ross. It was Lee’s vision of Johnson appearing on Ross’s show that was the inspiration for his play about these two historic figures whose travels through the Highlands have become the stuff of legend.

It is fitting then that in this production Samuel Johnson is played by comedian Simon Munnery, who slipped easily into Johnson’s sarcastic skin. Boswell was played by Miles Jupp, who produced a five star performance as Johnson’s companion and the chronicler of his travels. This one act play is, perhaps, more about Boswell than Johnson in that it explores his relationship with the great man whose sayings were made famous by Boswell’s writing.

It is accepted wisdom that you should never meet your heroes yet Boswell not only met his hero but also travelled with him, drank with him and made his reputation by writing about him. The play asks the question; how far did Boswell embellish Johnson’s observations, how creative was he in telling their very tall tale and how much does Johnson owe his reputation to Boswell’s imagination?

The play is a hilarious blend of styles. It starts with Jupp performing stand up, merges into a double act, strays into panto and finally ends in melodrama, quite a journey in just over an hour. Lee’s writing is tight and imaginative with a wit sharpened on many stand up stages and tempered in the fire of controversy with his previous production, Jerry Springer, The Opera.

Jupp is charming, witty, engaging and eloquent as he portrays Boswell’s struggle with the ego of his idol. His own stand up persona is perfectly matched to inhabiting the mind of Johnson’s companion. Munnery was flawlessly icy and pompous in his delivery of Johnson’s sarcastic wit. The contrasting styles of both performers work exceptionally well in Lee’s exploration of the tensions between them.

Eden Court’s OneTouch Theatre was the perfect setting for this performance and demonstrated that, with the addition of the smaller auditorium, the theatre can now be more adventurous with its programming. That greater flexibility has allowed audiences the opportunity to enjoy shows, such as this production, that are a little adrift from the mainstream.

The fact that the Johnson play has extended its run at Eden Court to a third night bears testimony to the success of this approach. And at around an hour, you can see this show and still have the rest of your evening to enjoy its humour over a pint in the pub.

Oh, I almost forgot, did I say it was funny? Because it is, very, very funny, and an enormously entertaining show. Don’t miss it, there may still be a few tickets left.

Johnson and Boswell is at Eden Court on 28-29  March 2008.

© John Burns, 2008

Links

• Eden Court Theatre