As the BBC’s appalling Blandings adaptation proved, capturing PG Wodehouse’s complex plotting and beautiful wordplay off the printed page is a tough job.

So hoorah to the Goodale Brothers, whose Perfect Nonsense distils the spirit of Jeeves and Wooster – having realised it is not the tale that plays the important part of Wodehouse’s ongoing appeal, but how it is told.

The framework of Wooster putting on a three-man play allows Wodehouse’s own words to shine through, and adds an extra layer of comedy as Jeeves, the trusted valet, irons out staging problems on the hoof.

Wooster is a role Stephen Mangan was born to play. He wholly inhabits the character, from his undisguised open-mouthed admiration of Jeeves’s quick-thinking to his inability to dress himself during costume changes.

Meanwhile Matthew Macfadyen’s Jeeves is unflappable – stepping into the breach effortlessly both within the story and when the play looks set to collapse.

Mark Hadfield deserves high praise too for his fearsome Aunt Dahlia and fascistic man-mountain Rodney Spode, all played under the guise of ageing butler Seppings.

Director Sean Foley’s production sparkles with energy and inventiveness, with expertly choreographed physical comedy supporting the witty wordplay.

Long may it run in the West End.