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According to Hugh Laurie, reading P.G. Wodehouse novels saved his life. Now, that’s my kind of Man. I’ve always thought that the writing of great comedy is under-appreciated in favor of so-called “serious literary fiction.” And I have a stash of every Jeeves and Wooster novel, ready to hand for those days when the dog bites and the bee stings…

I recall laughing to the point of tears at A Bit of Fry and Laurie when it aired in the early 90’s, especially the running sketch where Stephen Fry mixed a weirdly named cocktail (e.g. “Swinging Ballsacks”) and asked the magic question: Please Mr. Music, Will You Play? Whereupon Laurie attacked the piano with gusto.

Later of course there was the magnificent Jeeves and Wooster, with Fry as the omniscient, soft-footed Jeeves. Laurie was so credible as the gormless, feckless, joyful twit Bertie Wooster that I experienced cognitive dissonance when he played an omniscient and grumpy Doctor House, the Sherlock Holmes of exotic infectious disease. And became an unlikely sex symbol.

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The hand tells the story. Not to mention those baby blues.

Hugh Laurie is one of those men who oscillates amusingly between sexiness and goofiness. I saw him the other night live with The Copper Bottom Band, and at times he was reminiscent of John Cleese, performing Silly Walks on his long, stork-like legs (he is a lanky six-foot-two). Other times? Well, let’s just say he hit me with his rhythm stick.

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Hugh Laurie, looking quite sexy, thank you very much. Photo by Linnet.

Laurie’s first love is music, a fact that is obvious enough when you see how much he enjoys performing with the top-drawer musicians who make up the Copper Bottom Band (including two incredible female vocalists and one knock-your-socks-off female trombone player). He’s very self-deprecating, and highly aware that audiences think of him as an actor first, not a musician. But he holds his own quite comfortably as a pianist.

And the voice? I must admit that the first time I heard him sing, I thought he was doing a comic voice. It is distinctive, and yet that is one of the hallmarks of a good jazz voice. I am reminded of the truism: it’s not what you have so much as how you use it. Oh yes. On that score, he’s a winner.

The choice of songs is pure Laurie and one of the reasons I am so fond of him. The show began with the Mardi Gras classic “Iko Iko,” and ended with an encore of the inspired and silly scat-fest “I Want To Be Like You” from The Jungle Book (a personal favorite of mine). In between there were plenty of old-time blues and jazz masterpieces (“Why Don’t You Do Right/The Weed Smoker’s Dream,” “I Hate A Man Like You,” “Wild Honey,” “Junco Partner”) and the equally pleasing tango “Kiss of Fire” as well as Hoagy Carmichael’s “Up a Lazy River,” sung by the male members of the band with Laurie on guitar. Pure pleasure.

Beautiful Man, may you never be far from a piano. 

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