STAGED (iPlayer)***

 

By Aashiq

Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p08dnl67/staged

Available until: 10^th June 2021

Staged is a 6 part TV series, which was created and filmed in lockdown by two of my fellow West End stars, David Tennant and Michael Sheen. So if you’ve ever wanted to know what Doctor Who and Brian Clough might have to say to each other, just click the link above. (I’m imagining a story where Clough actually does a good job with Leeds, but this sets in motion some sort of cosmic catastrophe and the only way of saving the universe is for Clough to mess up the Leeds job. I love a bit of football. It’s all drama, heartbreak and men in shorts. What more do I need in life? Besides my job.)

David and Michael previously worked together in Good Omens, but I haven’t watched that because my parents said it was good so I thought I’d probably hate it. But David and Michael have such a great rapport, maybe I’ll give it a try after all. Even parents are right sometimes and there’s nothing so bad you can’t switch it off.

David and Michael play themselves in Staged – or at least, a very exaggerated version of themselves with a limited basis in reality They’re two actors, bored in lockdown. They’re persuaded to rehearse their cancelled play online, but not much rehearsal actually happens as the director, Simon Evans (also played by himself, as is almost everybody), doesn’t really seem to know what he’s doing and David and Michael spend at least half the time hating each other. (It’s better than it sounds. I promise.)

David is presented a selfish, immature, manipulative baby (no, I’m not being hypocritical, he’s much worse than me) who needs his wife Georgia Tennant to look after him, even when she’s on the phone to her friend who’s in labour. Michael is a bit pathetic, but it’s probably being mates with David that does it. He’d wear anyone down. Georgia and Michael’s partner Anna Lindberg are lovely, intelligent, understanding and patient throughout the series and perhaps the only unrealistic part of their performance (other than their salon-perfect hair which nearly made me die of jealousy) is that they don’t try to murder David and Michael. Not even once.

The characters presented here aren’t the real David and Michael. I have a lot of time for David Tennant. I technically haven’t actually worked with him, but I know a few people who have and that’s practically the same thing. I have met him quite a few times. I haven’t met Michael properly, but we’ve been to some of the same places at the same times so that almost counts. I’m a little bit Welsh and we’ve both played Mozart (him on the West End stage, me on the piano) so we’ve obviously got absolutely loads in common and I’m sure we’d get on famously. Since we are both famous. (Well… I’ve heard of both of us.)

One of my favourite writers says comedies are about a fool who knows he’s a fool and a fool who thinks he’s clever and that seems to be the case in Staged. David is the one who thinks he’s clever. He’s probably the only person in Staged who thinks he’s clever. Michael’s a lot more modest, but he’s not the brightest jewel on the tiara.

For something which was set up in a couple of months in lockdown, Staged is great. The first couple of episodes are very funny. There’s a nice bit of Scotland v Wales banter. But then it seems to fizzle out a bit. David keeps being a door handle (I’m sure you know what I really mean) and Michael keeps looking all wounded and like he needs a hug and the Zoom rehearsals for their play don’t really go anywhere and nothing much else happens.

There’s also a subplot where Michael worries about his elderly neighbour which is really nice and everything, especially as Michael’s not a young man himself, but I’m not sure what a subplot like that is doing in a comedy because it’s sad and scary. Maybe they wanted to show a human side of Michael, but it’s David who needs the human side. He’s a diminutive of Richard. Seriously, he makes me look easy to work with. He must have had so much fun filming this!

There are guest appearances from other actors. Samuel L Jackson, Adrian Lester and Judi Dench all come online to say hello. Judi is particularly brilliant. I love it when posh old ladies know the f-word. They make it sound even ruder. (I’ve never met Judi. I think I’d be too scared. I’d probably feel like I had to behave myself or something. Even if she didn’t.)

It’s nice to see two top actors like David and Michael sending themselves up and there’s no doubt about why these two are top actors, but I think Staged only allows them to use a small part of their considerable talents. The characters don’t change and grow at all. The Zoom set-up works well, but even considering the short time frame and the lockdown limitations I think it would have been possible to come up with something better.