Tomfoolery

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Tomfoolery: A West End Satirical Revue

"Tomfoolery" premiered in London’s West End at the Criterion Theatre on June 5, 1980, a musical revue that ran for over 100 performances into late 1980. Devised and produced by Cameron Mackintosh, with music and lyrics by American satirist Tom Lehrer, it was directed and choreographed by Gillian Lynne. Featuring a cast of four Robin Ray, Jonathan Adams, Martin Connor, and Tricia George it brought 28 of Lehrer’s biting 1950s and 60s songs to the stage, adapted by Mackintosh and Robin Ray from "The Tom Lehrer Songbook." Following its London debut, it played Off-Broadway in 1981 for 120 performances. A celebration of Lehrer’s "witty naughtiness," this revue skewered everything from nuclear war to the Vatican, delighting audiences with its sharp, irreverent humor in a minimalist barroom setting.

A Satirical Songbook Unraveled

The show lacks a traditional plot, instead weaving a loose narrative through Lehrer’s songs, performed by actors using their own names in a casual bar onstage. It kicks off with “Be Prepared,” a sardonic Boy Scout anthem, before diving into the Cold War paranoia of “We Will All Go Together When We Go” and the darkly comic “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park.” Numbers like “The Masochism Tango” and “I Hold Your Hand in Mine” about a cannibal lover escalate the absurdity, while “The Vatican Rag” mocks religious pomp. Lehrer, a Harvard math professor turned satirist, consulted on the production, ensuring his cynical lens on society war, racism, pollution shone through, ending with the periodic table set to Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Major-General’s Song,” a nod to his eclectic influences.

Music That Bites and Delights

Tom Lehrer’s score, arranged by Chris Walker with musical direction by Robert Walker, leans on piano-driven simplicity, letting his clever lyrics and hummable melodies like “When You Are Old and Grey” and “The Old Dope Peddler” carry the show’s edge. The cast’s four-part harmony, backed by a single pianist, amplifies the intimacy, while Lynne’s choreography adds playful flair to numbers like “The Hunting Song.” A 1980 London cast recording on Decca preserves favorites like “I Got It from Agnes” and “Smut,” though the revue’s appeal lies in its live, unpolished wit. Critics hailed it as “wickedly funny,” a testament to Lehrer’s knack for blending tunefulness with taboo-smashing commentary, rooted in his 1950s TV and record fame.

A Cast of Mischievous Talents

Robin Ray led as the wry anchor, joined by Jonathan Adams’ deadpan delivery, Martin Connor’s cheeky charm, and Tricia George’s sly verve each playing “themselves” per Lehrer’s stage notes. This quartet, handpicked by Mackintosh, embodied the revue’s barroom vibe, lounging onstage between numbers to riff on Lehrer’s patter. Adams shone in “The Irish Ballad,” George vamped up “Oedipus Rex,” and Connor nailed “My Home Town’s” nostalgia-gone-wrong. Lynne’s direction kept it tight yet loose, mirroring Lehrer’s own casual brilliance his consultancy ensured authenticity. The cast’s chemistry turned a song cycle into a “gleefully subversive” night (The Times), a rare West End fit for their talents.

A Legacy of Clever Chaos

After its Criterion run, "Tomfoolery" crossed to New York’s Village Gate in 1981, starring Jonathan Hadary, and later saw a 2005 Jermyn Street revival with Dillie Keane its first major London return since 1980. Licensing via Music Theatre International keeps it alive globally, from a 1982 Sydney staging to U.S. college runs, though it’s rarely a West End fixture today. Its 1980 debut rode Mackintosh’s rising star pre-"Cats" and Lehrer’s cult status, yet its niche satire didn’t match juggernauts like “Evita.” As of March 2025, it endures as a quirky triumph a “wildly wicked” (MTI) footnote in West End history, proving Lehrer’s barbs still sting and amuse decades on.