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Late But Live : Johnson & BoswellJohnson and Boswell – Late But Live ★★★★

By R.J. Thomson in Fest Magazine Posted on Saturday, August 11th, 2007

Stewart Lee branches out into high culture while staying rooted in comedy for this postmodern revue

Stewart Lee’s writing is becoming increasingly confident. Having won plaudits and awards for his stripped down standup material and for the overblown Jerry Springer – The Opera, his new work Late But Live falls somewhere – very roughly – between the two: an imaginary revue hosted by two 18th-century literary greats.

Namely, these are the wit-of-the-age, English writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, and his Scottish friend and biographer James Boswell. Taking on such challenging subject matter, Lee’s script makes the delicate business of fusing historical accuracy with postmodern trickery look effortless. More impressive still, it displays a level of wit that holds up against Johnson’s: dry jokes at the expense of the Traverse Theatre, for example, keep things fresh, literary, and close to home.

Two excellent comedians – Simon Munnery (Johnson) and Miles Jupp (Boswell) – are playing the two leads, furthering the show’s late-night appeal. However, neither part is cast perfectly: though otherwise excellent, Jupp’s evident Englishness is sometimes hard to ignore. He is more than capable of delivering punchlines in deadly fashion but Munnery’s bug-eyed stare does not fit with Johnson’s dry style.

This is a minor quibble, however, as Late But Live is only very loosely authentic. Like Boswell’s biography of Johnson, Lee’s emphasis is on conveying an impression of events, rather than creating a rigidly accurate account, a fact played upon in the characters’ interactions. Happily for such an high-brow concept, the show will appeal as much to those with no prior knowledge of the original authors as to those who love them already, making Late But Live an intellectual success and, just as importantly, a hoot.

Written by R.J. Thomson in Fest Magazine on 11th August 2007. Filed Under: Johnson & Boswell, Late But Live, Reviews
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