Jim McCance spends a lot of time getting Christian Gray out of trouble at First Folio Theatre.
McCance is about to play faithful manservant Jeeves to Gray’s less-than-brilliant Bertie Wooster in “Jeeves at Sea.” It’s the fourth time the two have been paired in First Folio’s productions of Margaret Raether’s adaptations of P.G. Wodehouse stories.
The latest installment takes place aboard a yacht anchored in Monte Carlo. Bertie is being pursued by two very different women. Twin brothers add to the confusion.
“There’s always been a lot of physical shtick that goes along with the Jeeves comedies and this one will be no different,” Gray revealed. “But this time, we get to fight with parasols. The physical stuff is going to be really, really funny.”
As discreet as his character, McCance hesitated to give details about the goings-on in “Jeeves at Sea.” He only revealed that Bertie faces, “romantic aspirations that may not go his way.”
Another complication occurs because Bertie “has a friend who’s recollections of the previous night are not very clear and he seems to be subject to felonious prosecution.”
“Bertie is a person who doesn’t think much about the future,” Gray said. “Bertie isn’t someone who thinks much about the past for that matter. He’s very much in the moment.”
The actor is convinced the casting is right because he considers himself more of a Bertie than a Jeeves. “When I was first cast, a bunch of friends joked, ‘You’re typecast,'” the actor laughingly revealed. “Which I respected. I’ve very well-educated but I often have trouble remembering to tie my shoes in the morning. It’s not a big stretch for me to play Bertie.”
“It’s an enjoyable time revisiting this character,” Gray said. “He’s mainly inept, but he’s charming. It’s a nice reprieve from doing a lot of other serious stuff.”
McCance joked that Jeeves is the right role for him because, “Somebody offers me a contract, I play it.” On a more serious note, he added, “I have a sense of who the character is. He doesn’t ever quite express disapproval yet somehow his thinking comes across.”
Gray admitted that the shows are “formulaic. But that’s what makes it fun,” he said. “What’s new are the new obstacles that Jeeves and Bertie have to overcome and how they do it. Everybody knows in the end Jeeves will make it all right.”
“The plotlines are very simply and logic doesn’t really enter into the equation, which is fun,” Gray said.
“It’s a very pleasant comic world,” McCance added. “It doesn’t really hit you with much of the darker side of the human condition. The problems are not earth-shaking.”
First Folio Theatre presents, ‘Jeeves at Sea’
When: previews Jan. 27-29; regular run Jan. 30-Feb. 28
Where: Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st Street and Route 83, Oak Brook
Tickets: $29-$39; $22 previews
Contact: 630-986-8067; www.firstfolio.org
