I couldn’t remember if Abraham Lincoln or The Chuckle Brothers first remarked “You can please some of the people all of the time; you can please all of the people some of the time; but you can’t please all of the people all of the time!”
When I checked, it was English poet John Lydgate (1370-1451) who coined that phrase – as well as “You cannot get blood out of a stone” and “Empty vessels make the most noise”.
Top bloke, John!
It’s his quote that Lincoln ‘borrowed’ years later that inspired this article.
In a café recently, I picked up a free newspaper, one that I wouldn’t usually buy, which contained a very sniffy review of the new West End stage version of the TV sitcom “Fawlty Towers”.
Yes, Basil, Sybil and Manuel all appear in the play that’s had some great reviews – except the one I read in the café!
John Cleese has adapted and ‘welded together’ three episodes (“The Hotel Inspector”, “The Germans” and “Communication Problems”) of his classic series and even if you’ve only seen one of the original 12 episodes, you’ll know the show is manic, over the top, laugh-out-loud funny.
But, my goodness, did the reviewer have a chip on his shoulder about this mid-1970s sitcom.
He criticised the ‘dated’ attitude of one character – who is supposed to have a dated attitude – while acknowledging some of the original lines have been removed incase sensitive audience members faint in their seats.
The po-faced reviewer begrudgingly mentioned the audience around him laughed throughout, while questioning whether adapting TV sitcoms for the stage was a wise move.
The team behind the successful “Only Fools and Horses” musical” can answer that!
Is he perhaps envious he didn’t create a sitcom that TV viewers have loved for 50 years and theatre audiences are still enjoying?
To paraphrase John Lydgate –
“You can’t please some of the critics any of the time!”
And, as Manuel might say about the critic . . .
“This man. He knows nah-thing!”
See you at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue . . . in the cheap seats!