It’d be hard, and perhaps unfair, to talk about Stewart Lee’s follow-up to 2007’s historical comedy Johnson & Boswell without mentioning ‘the other’ alternative Elizabethan comedy. But for all its defects, one thing is certain – though Simon Munnery’s portrayal of Elizabeth I is quite different from Miranda Richardson’s in Blackadder II, it’s still as good, if not better.
Written by Lee, this two-hander between Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh (played by comedian Miles Jupp) involves Raleigh’s attempts to persuade the Virgin Queen to marry him, who in turn reckons he’s just a self-serving charlatan and intends to chop off his head. Munnery’s regal entrance is marvellous to behold – walking straight down the middle of the auditorium, over chairs and audience members, in an enormous, bedraggled vaudevillian frightwig/greasepaint ensemble. ‘The queen only walks in straight lines!’ explains Sir Walter to the audience. ‘You may laugh, but you do so with soiled underpants,’ she informs them.
Munnery effectively ropes the monarch into his repertoire of twisted, angry loners. His Elizabeth is an embittered lush – the missing of cues and bumping into furniture somehow adding to the effect – out to punish the creepy, maid-shagging Sir Walter.
Jupp is less effective as Raleigh, although, it should be said, he has less to work with. The pace and tone is strangely flat throughout, except at the end, where we witness a mist-wreathed portrayal of Raleigh’s naval adventures, both eerie and ridiculous (the pair wearing enormous ships on their heads), and during Munnery’s final, doom-laden monologue – a bleak surveillance of the realm from the windows of a train up to Edinburgh – clearly taking the piss out of Derek Jarman’s film Jubilee.
Munnery is a great, if limited, actor, but he can’t carry the show by himself. The talent behind this is of the first pedigree, but it’s not quite comedic enough to be great comedy, nor quite dramatic enough to be great drama. History buffs will love it, though.’
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube