Hmm… a woman played by a bloke? Sounds a mite Elizabethan and – hey, look! It is.
Our eponymous heroes in Late but Live: Elizabeth and Raleigh are ably portrayed by funny men Simon Munnery (Queen Elizabeth I) and Miles Jupp (Sir Walter Raleigh) in this gag-fuelled romp at the Tobacco Factory Theatre. And, yes, this show works splendidly if verbal slapstick is your thing.
The usual suspects – outsize codpieces and ruffs, gags of indeterminate gender – all do a decent job of setting the scene for Raleigh’s increasingly desperate seduction attempts on Her Majesty.
He is assisted by a coterie of fabulous bon mots: “My aim is the aim of an owl: to wit; to woo.”
Munnery, too, does a more than decent job of conveying the imperial quirks of royalty. He is by turns a querulous, handsomely flirtatious monarch – doubtless all things yer-actual historical Elizabeth was.
Don’t expect emotional volcanoes, Shakespeare it ain’t. Yet writer Stewart Lee does achieve a deft balance between surreal gags – throne with flashing lights, anyone? – and moments of tenderness between the players, ably assisted by Jane Watkins’ lilting music
And Jupp’s Raleigh, is a dapper, nippy adversary to his harsh-tongued Queen in what is more or less a slick war of stand-uppery designed to expose the anarchic workings of the human heart.
The avalanche of one-liners offer a refreshing cure for any working-day blues and give vital oomph to this tale of potatoes and executions.
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Meninblack, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Brighton Argus
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Stuart, Chortle
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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World Without End, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com