Backstairs Billy - Duke of York's

[showgirl]

I've not heard of this Luke person whom people keep mentioning (is he known for tv rather than theatre?) but coincidentally, was talking about theatre to my hairdresser who has done some showbiz work and still has friends in the business and she said one of them was doing hair for an actor called Luke, but of course I had no idea who this could be. Now thinking probably this one. Now had she said Penelope Wilton...

[bobbievanhusen]

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Oct 30, 2023 4:10:33 GMT showgirl said:

I've not heard of this Luke person whom people keep mentioning

This Luke person? wow.....

I would imaging there's proabably more than 1 luke in the industry.

[anthony40]

Although I know who this Luke person is, forgive my ignorance however, as he is Welsh, is it fair to say he's much more well known in Wales, than the rest of the UK?

To be cast as Gaston in the Beauty and the Beast remake, he's obviously well known in Hollywood. He was also had a small part as The Coachman in the recent Pinocchio re-make and released a solo CD.

[vdcni]

That Luke person was first well known in the West End for years before he broke into films unlike a lot of the primarily TV and film actors who aren't well known on this board usually.

He's probably a bit more famous in Wales than in the UK as a whole but not by much I wouldn't think.

[lookingatthestars]

I would like to see this, but had a look at the tickets and they are a little out of my price range in the stalls at the moment (i can only do stalls) Does anybody know if there will be day seats for this. Thank you

[couldileaveyou]

Oct 30, 2023 14:22:06 GMT lookingatthestars said:

I would like to see this, but had a look at the tickets and they are a little out of my price range in the stalls at the moment (i can only do stalls) Does anybody know if there will be day seats for this. Thank you

There's a rush on todaytix and decent discounts on TKTS

[lookingatthestars]

Oct 30, 2023 14:23:18 GMT couldileaveyou said:

Oct 30, 2023 14:22:06 GMT lookingatthestars said:

I would like to see this, but had a look at the tickets and they are a little out of my price range in the stalls at the moment (i can only do stalls) Does anybody know if there will be day seats for this. Thank you

There's a rush on todaytix and decent discounts on TKTS

Appreciate the info, thanks!

[frankubelik]

I found this hugely enjoyable. Old fashioned, fun, super set, two terrific performances from the leads and corgis! I'm not sure they know quite how to end the piece though. How nice to see a curtain too........

[A.Ham]

Braving the weather to head to this this evening. Very much looking forward to it, just hope I’m not too soggy by the time I arrive at the DOY!

[zahidf]

I'll add to say this was ace. Very funny and interesting. Great performances from luke and wilton

[Steve]

I agree. I also saw this tonight and LOVED it.

It's not often you get Penelope Wilton in a comedy, and she's so good at being the straight woman to Luke Evans's delightful, mischievous force-of-nature Backstairs Billy. They have great chemistry, and get a lot of laughs together.

And this play isn't one note, as it has some really touching moments as well.

Some spoilers follow. . .

Luke Evans is a wonderful lead (I think I last saw him in the ensemble of Avenue Q lol), combining all the cultured knowledge you'd expect from a butler with a wild and crazy breathless joie de vivre, that has him spicing the drinks of the Queen Mother's boring guests to keep himself entertained.

But of course, although she doesn't know what he's up to, he's doing it because he loves her, and wants to keep her entertained. And it's necessary, because as long as he's known her, the loneliness of losing her husband has hung over her like a cloud. And perhaps he feels that loneliness too.

It's a lovely set-up that allows for the introduction of enemies (the Queen Mother's dastardly Private Secretary, Kerr, played by an eagle-eyed Ian Drysdale), allies (Iwan Davies's loveable new raw recruit of a Welsh footman) and wild cards (Eloka Ivo's strident and mischievous artist/gigolo), with well judged farce taking centre stage, while poignant emotions simmer in the wings.

The Queen mother was a Queen before she was a mother, and Wilton nails that sense of a greatness humbled, where the uniqueness of her status is isolating, and where even the solace of being a mother has receded as her children have gone their separate ways.

In his own way, Evans's Billy is just as uniquely isolated as Wilton's Queen Mother, given that he spends decades in her service, living apart from the "real" world, a gay man living in a leaky closet that could easily lead to scandal and ruin.

Because both actors find the unspoken hidden hearts of their characters, their bond feels deep, and their comic interactions are funnier for being rooted in something believable and precious.

That said, I know what mkb means, in his excellent review above, about a jarring moment towards the end, which is indeed jarring, but I liked it regardless, as it illuminated the strange bond these two unique characters have shared for many years, and allows plot tensions to find appropriate expression.

Overall, this is farcical fun, with a big heart, and although I'm no expert, it feels like there's a bit of true history in there as well.

4 and a half stars from me.

[zahidf]

I found the jarring moment to be just a way for the play to slip in that the queen mother wasn't all THAT accepting really. She wasn't going to let the other character know who was really in charge.

[Deleted]

Lovely review Steve, I still think they missed a trick not including William's long term partner in the show. There could have been some comedy and nice tender moments between the duo.

The Royal Family had a long history of employing gay males when homosexuality wasn't legal and Billy had probably served a dozen years or so in Royal Service before the laws were changed. It was always rumoured that gay males were employed as they would be no threat to female royals.

Whether gay men felt more safety working a job like this or if they were ever arrested then the powers that be could probably get the charges dropped. But Royal Palaces would be heavily guarded so I doubt many men they might have met socially would have been bought back to their quarters. Also I expect these staff had to be very discrete as if they did any major midemeanors they would have soon been out if there had been any whiff of a press story or scandal.

[mrbarnaby]

Seeing this tonight.. haven’t heard positive things at all from the 2 friends who have seen it so I’m a little nervous.

[alece10]

I'm going to put on the ticket section but I have a spare ticket for tonight if anyone is around and can make it last minute.

[Dawnstar]

Nov 2, 2023 23:48:56 GMT Steve said:

The Queen mother was a Queen before she was a mother

Is this meant as some sort of statement of philosophical importance? Because in a literal, chronological sense she certainly wasn't, as her daughters were born in 1926 and 1930 and she didn't become Queen until 1936.

[A.Ham]

I saw this last night too, and really enjoyed it. Lots of laugh out loud moments from the farce-style scenes and plot, but it did have more solemn and thought-provoking moments. Kerr's speech about the evils of homosexuality made it very clear how much has changed, and yes, I agree with Steve's review that perhaps a job 'in service' within the Royal household was a safer choice for many when society was less accepting. I also agree it would have been nice to see some of Billy's relationship with Reg, as given there's no mention of him in the play, Billy is presented as being somewhat more one-dimensional and one-track-minded in a 'romantic' sense than he was in real life.

I thought both Penelope Wilton and Luke Evans did a great job, as did the supporting cast, young Billy in particular. The more tender moments between the two leads felt heartfelt. Much as it was wonderful to see Penelope on stage, I accepted Luke as Billy more than I did Penelope as the QM - she played it in pretty much her own voice so the QM and Isobel Crawley from Downton didn't feel too far removed. I liked that they'd kept the 'when you two... this old Queen would...' line which may be more myth than fact but it did cement the QM's legend for some. I could see it being made into a one-off or two-parter for TV at some point.

Was sat in BB stalls - very very close, and for the first few minutes it was like being too close at the cinema, but I got used to it after a short while. Lovely to be able to see every detail of the beautiful set up close, and of course every expression and look from the cast.  Probably a 4/5 for me, an enjoyable night out, and I even managed to make it into central London and out again without getting drenched in the storm!

[Steve]

Nov 3, 2023 18:03:09 GMT Dawnstar said:

Nov 2, 2023 23:48:56 GMT Steve said:

The Queen mother was a Queen before she was a mother

Is this meant as some sort of statement of philosophical importance? Because in a literal, chronological sense she certainly wasn't, as her daughters were born in 1926 and 1930 and she didn't become Queen until 1936.

It means I got it wrong, Dawnstar. I meant it when I said I wasn't an "expert" on the Royal Family lol.

Thanks for setting me straight. It's especially helpful as it's too late to edit the original post.

[Dawnstar]

Nov 3, 2023 20:12:59 GMT Steve said:

It means I got it wrong, Dawnstar . I meant it when I said I wasn't an "expert" on the Royal Family lol.

Thanks for setting me straight. It's especially helpful as it's too late to edit the original post.

Thanks. As I haven't seen the play, I wondered if I had misunderstood something.

[Being Alive]

I really enjoyed this tonight.

On paper, it didn't sound like my cup of tea, but it's genuinely one of my favourite evenings in the theatre for a while.

It's properly funny, but crucially it's intelligent, classy humour that warrants the laughter, whilst still having it's poignant moments.
I thought Penelope Wilton was pretty marvellous and really enjoyed Luke Evans too - such a lovely pairing and you just felt completely at ease watching them on stage.

It loses its way at the end (I think they basically just didn't know how to end it, and I didn't like what they did do with the last 5 minutes) but it still comes out at a strong 4 stars for me.

[mrbarnaby]

Quite staggered by people enjoying this on here.

I found it was like watching a sub par sitcom- Every joke is painfully old fashioned and obvious.

That Luke Person is not a good enough actor to make his (terrible) dialogue work. The character is a cliche gay . His forced campiness became wearing very quickly.

Penelope Wilton rises above the material but what a waste of her talents. A couple of supporting performances are strong- but Michael Simkins absolutely wasted again.

Would love to know what on earth they were thinking putting this on.. and in 2023. Quite the most pointless evening I’ve spent in a theatre for a long time.

2 stars for me. Both For Penelope Wilton.

[alece10]

I rather enjoyed this. It had some real laugh out loud moments.
Thought both Luke and Penelopie were excellent and it was lovely seeing such well known names on stage. Great chemistry between the two of them.
As others have said the end scene was a bit odd and jarring.
Set was lovely.
Do think the corgis should have taken a bow at the end.
I seldom go to plays but glad I saw this.

[Deleted]

Nov 3, 2023 23:19:26 GMT mrbarnaby said:

That Luke Person is not a good enough actor to make his (terrible) dialogue work. The character is a cliche gay . His forced campiness became wearing very quickly.

We have only read about and seen pictures of Billy, so hopefully Luke did him some kind of justice to what he was like in real life. Seeing Billy in private or with other servants, alone with the QM and then when he introduced guests and if he acted differently depending on the situation. I could imagine Billy doing his serving with a flourish especially the drinks almost like an artist at work.

[karloscar]

Does anyone else still expect the QM to sound like Beryl Reid from the original Spitting Image series? It was heard far more often than her actual voice by the general public.

[Deleted]

Nov 4, 2023 13:41:54 GMT karloscar said:

Does anyone else still expect the QM to sound like Beryl Reid from the original Spitting Image series? It was heard far more often than her actual voice by the general public.

There was a rumour she sounded more like Les Dawson in real life but that might have been something started on maybe Have I Got News For You.

This is a rare clip of her talking in a fairly informal setting for her 90th birthday if people want to know what she sounded like.  :-