A 9-year-old girl wrote this simply as a lark and it ended up being published under the name of JM Barrie, probably because they thought that the public wouldn't believe that 9 yesr old Daisy Ashford could write a comic sex farce such as this. Seems sensible to me. Have I not researched it, I would not believe it either, but there it is, revealed to be true color and if the source has been altered for this TV version, what ends up on the screen is absolutely hysterical, a farce I would love to see on the stage. Jim Broadbent is a middle-class man with humanners who instantly falls under the spell of the gold digging Lyndsey Marshal who longs to be introduced to the upper class.
Broadbent agrees to introduce her to the reclusive nobleman Hugh Laurie, living in an audacious castle but not really associating with people outside. Falling instantly under the spell of Marshal, Laurie decides he wants to steal her from his friend and sends Broadbent off to a school educate him and how to deal with the upper class so he'll be able to move in on the not so naive Marshal. But there are twists and turns that happen to Broadbent while he's off being educated involving the Prince of Wales, and that makes him want Marshal all the more.
The acting (especially Broadbent's) is extremely broad, almost cartoonish, and the more ridiculous it becomes, the more entertaining it becomes. It's like the type of theater popular in Europe around the time, especially in France, the type that Voltaire would have written. It's sumptuous to look at, and fans of the musical theater will recognize songs from "Me and my Girl" in the background. Perhaps not the definitive version of the story, but for what it is, it's irresistible, and hopefully one day, some playwright or liberetist will see the potential of a great play or musical comedy in it and adapt it for the theater.
Broadbent agrees to introduce her to the reclusive nobleman Hugh Laurie, living in an audacious castle but not really associating with people outside. Falling instantly under the spell of Marshal, Laurie decides he wants to steal her from his friend and sends Broadbent off to a school educate him and how to deal with the upper class so he'll be able to move in on the not so naive Marshal. But there are twists and turns that happen to Broadbent while he's off being educated involving the Prince of Wales, and that makes him want Marshal all the more.
The acting (especially Broadbent's) is extremely broad, almost cartoonish, and the more ridiculous it becomes, the more entertaining it becomes. It's like the type of theater popular in Europe around the time, especially in France, the type that Voltaire would have written. It's sumptuous to look at, and fans of the musical theater will recognize songs from "Me and my Girl" in the background. Perhaps not the definitive version of the story, but for what it is, it's irresistible, and hopefully one day, some playwright or liberetist will see the potential of a great play or musical comedy in it and adapt it for the theater.