Theakston plays with West End

Jamie Theakston is taking a break from presenting

By the BBC's Brendan Cole

The ink had barely dried on reports of Jamie Theakston's dalliances with the seamier side of London life when it was announced the TV presenter would be an unlikely member in the latest cast of Art.

Then again, some unusual celebrities have lent their names and talents to the Yasmina Reza-written comedy before - Frank Skinner and Jack Dee to name but two.

However, this is not the first time Theakston has trodden the boards.

When he was 15 he joined the National Youth Theatre and starred in the Death and Persecution of Marat.

In Art, Theakston plays Serge, who splashes out 200,000 francs (do the euro calculations yourself) on a great white artwork he insists is a masterpiece.

Theakston injects humour into his part

A case of the emperor's new clothes? "It's not white," he tells his bemused friends, the volatile Marc (Stephen McGann) and the decidedly blander Yvan (Christopher Luscombe).

Marc sees the painting as more than just a waste of money - he thinks it is also an affront to their friendship.

Translation

Theakston, with his 6ft 5in frame and diffident public schoolboy manner, is actually ideally cast and injects a lot of humour into quite a difficult part.

His vocal projection is clipped and works every corner of the Whitehall effectively, even though it lacks the warm resonance of Luscombe's RSC-honed vowels.

Although he occasionally stumbles over some tricky lines, and some of his footwork is distracting, Theakston is a disarmingly effective foil to McGann and his sneering rants.

Scandal

Art is a slick, commercial formula which has swelled box office takings over more than 2,400 performances, but it has its faults.

Some of the dialogue seems a bit conceited for the characters. The translation has effectively captured an English mindset but this only serves to make the French references jar somewhat.

What it actually says about the nature of friendship and art has been said several times, which makes it an engaging rather than a challenging offering.

However, as the play comes to its climax and the trio's friendship problems come to a head, you realise Theakston's endearing manner has drawn you in.

You are left struggling to remember what the recent tabloid frenzy was all about.

Art is on at the Whitehall Theatre in London's West End.