Following a successful run in July and a critically acclaimed stint at the Edinburgh Fringe, Wodehouse in Wonderland returns to London’s Tabard Theatre from 27 to 30 August 2025.
Starring Robert Daws (Jeeves and Wooster, Poldark), the one-man play by William Humble brings to life the wit and warmth of one of Britain’s most beloved comic writers, P.G. Wodehouse.
Directed by Robin Herford (The Woman in Black), this production coincides with the 50th anniversary of Wodehouse’s death, offering a timely tribute to his enduring legacy.
Set in Wodehouse’s New York State home in the 1950s, Wodehouse in Wonderland sees “Plum” juggling the latest Bertie Wooster tale with interruptions from a would-be biographer, his wife, daughter Snorkles, and two Pekingese.
Audiences are treated to stories of how Jeeves came to be, Wodehouse’s love of American soap operas, and his musical collaborations with Broadway legends like Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Ivor Novello.
But beneath the humour lies a more poignant narrative, exploring the complexities of Wodehouse’s later life.
Robert Daws said:
“Seven years ago, I called my friend of several decades, the BAFTA-winning screenwriter and playwright William Humble, and asked him if he fancied working on a theatre project about the life of Pelham Grenville Wodehouse. To my pleasure and happy surprise, Bill instantly replied, ‘That would be spiffing’.
“Having already researched the world of Wodehouse for a film script he had been commissioned to write, Bill presented the first draft of Wodehouse In Wonderland within weeks. Workshops, readings, and first performances at Literary Festivals at Oxford, Blenheim Palace, and Gibraltar followed, and Bill was in his element. His love of Wodehouse and the theatre spurred him forward, helping, as he often told me, to fight against the ill health he was increasingly battling to keep at bay. Sadly, Bill lost this battle at the end of 2024, leaving his beloved family and friends to mourn the passing of a loving, passionate and hugely creative man.
“From the beginning of Wodehouse In Wonderland, Bill had expressed the wish that his play might be performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the 50th Anniversary of Plum’s death. It is bittersweet that Wodehouse In Wonderland will make it to London and Scotland this year but without its author. Neither Bill nor his literary hero Plum was much given to sentimentality. Still, I hope they would both forgive me the indulgence of imagining the two of them looking down on our Tabard and Festival run and enjoying a spiffing time together.”
Wodehouse in Wonderland is produced by Cahoots Theatre Company Ltd and performed by arrangement with the Wodehouse Estate.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
