THE CAPTAIN OF KOPENICK National Theatre/Olivier

Carl Zuckmayer’s famous satire on Prussian militarism, the veneration of the uniform, German obsequiousness and bureaucracy gone mad, was extremely popular in 1931; until the Nazis banned it. The story is based on an event which had taken place in 1906. Wilhelm Voigt, a cobbler by trade and a petty criminal by profession, cannot get a job without a permit and he cannot get a permit without a job. It is a vicious circle, and so he has spent most of his life in prison. One day he buys himself a uniform and finds that once he is wearing it he commands instant respect. Thomas Mann said it was the best comedy since Nikolai Gogol’s The Government Inspector. But it didn’t seem to be that good when it was produced at the National Theatre in 1971 with Paul Scofield in the leading role. Revived now with Anthony Sher, the basic fault still has not been corrected in Ron Hutchinson’s adaptation and Adrian Noble’s grandiose production. It takes far too long to get Voigt into uniform. However, once he is in uniform and taking command of a Prussian guard, the farce which ensues in the mayor’s office is genuinely funny and Sher is very engaging.