Presented by Tea Tree Players
Reviewed 16 October 2018
Take a ridiculous plot, add a few corny jokes and some unlikely situations and you have a really funny play. This is no bedroom farce; there are no dropped trousers or scantily clad girls; but there is plenty of laughter. Father and son duo Ray and Michael Cooney have penned an excellent script, and in the hands of experienced director Barry Hill this play is one of the best comedies I have seen at Tea Tree Players for years.
Tom, Dick and Harry played by Adrian Heness, Kieran Drost and Samuel Creighton are hilarious. They work very well together, bouncing off each other and riding the laughs. The situations are unbelievable but they make them seem real, all aided by a strong performance from Selena Carr as Tom’s wife Linda. The introduction of two foreigners, illegal aliens who stowed away on Dick’s trip to Calais, gives another absurd layer to the mayhem. Mark Bone as Andreas and Anita Glocke as Katerina are suitably incoherent and animated to add to the fun and increase the confusion. Dick didn’t only bring unwanted visitors, he smuggled cigarettes and brandy, a problem for Tom to hide from his wife, not to mention brother Harry’s stolen cadaver from the morgue.
Tom and Linda are hoping to adopt a baby hence the appearance of Mrs Potter from the agency. Chris Galipo gives her the right amount of outrage and sympathy as she tries to unravel what is happening around her. The appearance of Constable Downs (Benjamin Forster) checking on tax discs does nothing to calm the situation, neither does the imminent arrival of Boris played by Damon Hill. The laughs come thick and fast and the action keeps pace.
The usual fine TTP set, prepared by Samuel Creighton and Damon Hill and helpers works really well and Barry Hill’s tight direction stops the production from running off the rails or losing itself. If you need a good laugh, or just a bit of nonsense, make sure you catch this quality production.
Reviewed by Fran Edwards
Twitter: @franeds
Venue: Tea Tree Players Theatre, Surrey Downs
Season: 12-14 July 2018
Duration: 2.5 hr
Tickets: Adults $17 Concession $15
Bookings: www.teatreeplayers.com
Box Office Is open for bookings on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 1pm either at the theatre of over the phone. Messages can be left outside of these times and box office attendant will return them as soon as they are received.
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