What do you think?
Four Plays
Drama.
318 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,710 books7,133 followersSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 8, 2026
Really enjoyed the informational foreword as well as the plays, and the brief author's note at the beginning of Come On, Jeeves is hilarious.
August 7, 2022
This 1983 Methuen publication is a collection of four plays by Wodehouse, with an introduction by David A. Jasen.
The Play’s the Thing – A brilliant, creative and wonderfully conceived farcical comedy. Originally written by Ferenc Molnar, Wodehouse has adapted it with his inimitable stamp of humor. 3.5 stars.
Good Morning, Bill – A three-act comedy based on Hungarian Ladislaus Fodor’s work, Wodehouse, in addition to writing this play, subsequently also wrote a novel using the same plot. Personally, I found the novel, Doctor Sally, more humorous than the play. 2.5 stars.
Leave it to Psmith – A three-act comedy created in partnership with Ian Hays in 1930, Wodehouse subsequently wrote a thoroughly satisfying Psmith novel set in Blandings Castle subsequently in the same name. As far as the play itself, I must admit it was an improvement over Good Morning, Bill, but it dawned upon me that perhaps, stage plays, when seen, will give far more satisfaction compared to when they are read. 3 stars.
Come on, Jeeves – The fourth play in this collection comes with the author’s note, describing his relationship with Guy Bolton with whom he had collaborated on multiple theatrical plays, including Come on, Jeeves. Wodehouse subsequently wrote Ring for Jeeves based on this play. While it was fun to see Jeeves in action – how can he ever fail to give satisfaction – my preference leans heavily on the side of the novel. 3.5 stars.
The Play’s the Thing – A brilliant, creative and wonderfully conceived farcical comedy. Originally written by Ferenc Molnar, Wodehouse has adapted it with his inimitable stamp of humor. 3.5 stars.
Good Morning, Bill – A three-act comedy based on Hungarian Ladislaus Fodor’s work, Wodehouse, in addition to writing this play, subsequently also wrote a novel using the same plot. Personally, I found the novel, Doctor Sally, more humorous than the play. 2.5 stars.
Leave it to Psmith – A three-act comedy created in partnership with Ian Hays in 1930, Wodehouse subsequently wrote a thoroughly satisfying Psmith novel set in Blandings Castle subsequently in the same name. As far as the play itself, I must admit it was an improvement over Good Morning, Bill, but it dawned upon me that perhaps, stage plays, when seen, will give far more satisfaction compared to when they are read. 3 stars.
Come on, Jeeves – The fourth play in this collection comes with the author’s note, describing his relationship with Guy Bolton with whom he had collaborated on multiple theatrical plays, including Come on, Jeeves. Wodehouse subsequently wrote Ring for Jeeves based on this play. While it was fun to see Jeeves in action – how can he ever fail to give satisfaction – my preference leans heavily on the side of the novel. 3.5 stars.
August 6, 2022
Four plays about romantic misadventures - they're all very dated, both in terms of style, subject, and structure, and they're rarely as entertaining as Wodehouse's literature. For me, "Good Morning, Bill" is the gem of this collection - it's genuinely funny and sweet, Wodehouse's voice and comedy feels effortless, and it's as tight as a three act comedy from the 20s is likely to get. "The Play's the Thing" isn't terrible, although it's one solid idea that takes a long time to pay off (but it still gets the occasional staging, so it might work with a good cast and judicious cutting). The Jeeves and the Psmith plays, though, are just monsters - enormous casts, multiple sets and three long, long acts and worse, they're light comedies that just aren't all that funny (there's a real straining for jokes in Wodehouse's usually sparkling dialogue - the Jeeves script even italicizes some words so the actors know where the punchlines are).
March 9, 2018
Rating for Good Morning, Bill only because it doesn't have its own listing. P.G. Wodehouse has my number.
November 28, 2011
These plays, all light comedies, were written and performed in the mid-twenties to 1930, except for the last, "Come On, Jeeves", which gives no date of writing or performance. Interesting to see that Joan Hickson, who would be the most intimidating Miss Marple fifty years later, played a disapproving club employee in "Leave It To Psmith" in 1930. She must have had that sort of face even as a young girl!
I love Wodehouse, especially Jeeves and Wooster, but these plays do suffer somewhat from a silliness that modern audiences just wouldn't appreciate. There are bits of the Wodehouse snarkiness to be found, but romance, confusion and mistaken identities are the main focus.
I love Wodehouse, especially Jeeves and Wooster, but these plays do suffer somewhat from a silliness that modern audiences just wouldn't appreciate. There are bits of the Wodehouse snarkiness to be found, but romance, confusion and mistaken identities are the main focus.
July 11, 2008
Includes 'The Play's the Thing', 'Good Morning, Bill', 'Leave it to Psmith', & 'Come On,Jeeves'.
The last two plays are adapted from Wodehouse's own books.
However the first two are adaptations of Hungarian plays for an American audience.'Spiel in Schloss' became 'The Play's the Thing'so later 'Good Morning, Bill'was also based on Ladislaus Fodor's work. Wodehouse did not read the original plays but received a plot synopsis from his agent so he could create and embellish them to fit their new settings.
The last two plays are adapted from Wodehouse's own books.
However the first two are adaptations of Hungarian plays for an American audience.'Spiel in Schloss' became 'The Play's the Thing'so later 'Good Morning, Bill'was also based on Ladislaus Fodor's work. Wodehouse did not read the original plays but received a plot synopsis from his agent so he could create and embellish them to fit their new settings.
Read
June 12, 2012[Reading the plays every so often]
The Play's The Thing: Nice, short and simple play. Yes, it's funny. Yes, it's old. And it reads like an old funny play. The set-up is now cliche (in a way), and I think was cliche in the 20's. Still, I like the way Wodehouse and Molner dealt with it.
Leave It To Psmith: This was great! Fun, funny, intriguing with enough threads being thrown around that I was fine with the ending that worked hard to tie up all the strings. I do want to read the novel version now ... but am also considering this play for directing. Very enjoyable!
The Play's The Thing: Nice, short and simple play. Yes, it's funny. Yes, it's old. And it reads like an old funny play. The set-up is now cliche (in a way), and I think was cliche in the 20's. Still, I like the way Wodehouse and Molner dealt with it.
Leave It To Psmith: This was great! Fun, funny, intriguing with enough threads being thrown around that I was fine with the ending that worked hard to tie up all the strings. I do want to read the novel version now ... but am also considering this play for directing. Very enjoyable!
May 7, 2009
Oh, by far the best one was the first play. But the others were great, too. Could not stop laughing. The 'p' is silent, as in 'psalmon'. My sisters and I were laughing over that one for weeks!
May 17, 2012
The Play's the Thing is the thing. What a louly awesomatic work. Laughter Laughter everywhere! Wodehouse is God.
April 7, 2016
Just read Good Morning Bill, a 3 Act Play, Squiffy visits and they all end up in Act I at Bill's country residence. Some funny bits
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews