Cash on Delivery

Cash on Delivery

A Comedy written by Michael Cooney

Performed by Tiverton Dramatic Society at the New Hall, Tiverton on 15th May 2025

Directed by Jamie Clarke

Cash on Delivery is a farce, premiered in the Whitehall Theatre London in 1996. Without a doubt Mr Cooney wrote this for the sole purpose of making the audience laugh. It is set in 1994 in the living room of Eric and Linda Swan of 344 Chilton Road, East London.

Projection was used to great effect on the cyclorama showing a modern apartment with patio door. Stage left had a well-built flat showing a large apartment window, slightly open with a window seat built below and a view of houses and rolling hills in the distance. It also had a robust door to the kitchen of the apartment which, when slammed on numerous occasions, was sturdy. Stage right flat had three entrances, a front door, the door to the dining room and an open entrance to the rest of the apartment. All of which were used numerous times by the cast to allow the play to run smoothly and with pace. An expertly designed set with stage props of a chair and settee, umbrella stand, telephone stand and filing cabinet.

Eric Swann, having lost his job two years previously, has been lying to his wife who believes he is still in gainful employment, whilst he is funding his lifestyle by duping the social benefit system of £25k a year using the names of numerous real and fictitious lodgers. Throughout the play the lies become larger and larger while spiraling into chaos when his current lodger, Norman Bassett, opens the front door to Mr Jenkins from the Benefit Department of the local authority.

Eric Swann is played by Pixie and what a tour de force of a performance this was. Convincingly acted, this was an exhaustive role where he does not leave the stage hardly at all, with a multitude of lines, antics, stunts and pratfalls he manages to keep up not just with the numerous lies but cleverly portrays a physical melt down also. When he is on the 1990’s phone, talking to the welfare department, which is never easy to do when there is no-one on the other end was expertly handled and well-remembered when dealing with umpteen plot lines and character names. This was such a professional performance with superb acting and credulous comic timing.

Norman Bassett, Eric’s real and current lodger was played by a new member to TDS, Charlie Dowzell, and what a find he is. Literally bouncing off of Eric he is unwittingly drawn into deceiving Mr Jenkins and others and the scene where he is pretending to be the deaf piano tuner was side-splittingly funny as he bluffs lip reading the other actors in the scene. I was so impressed with the quality of his acting throughout and how the energy and pace was constant between Norman and Eric and the other cast members. So believable and professional. At times, the audience, including myself, were laughing so much the actors had to pause to allow us to calm down. Especially when Norman threw something over his shoulder to conceal it and it caught, erringly, on the stage left flat, Eric naturally ad-libbed and continued without a pause.

Danny Broom maintains his composure as Mr Jenkins, who is the comedy foil to Eric, whilst he ties his prey (Eric) up in knots by drawing attention to the holes in his numerous stories thus causing more lies and subterfuge. His role goes from a welfare officer to a washing machine repair man and then a drunk and cleverly performed by a competent actor who has recently returned to acting, thank goodness. It is never easy to keep deadpan when hilarity is all around but Alison Harries as Mrs Forbright, the undertaker was admirably distinguished in the role. An accomplished actor and so lovely to watch, we believed her confusion and sincerity. Who can blame her and the other cast members for ‘corpsing’ when the head of the pretend corpse fell out of the blanket! That literally stopped the show whilst the audience screamed with uncontrollable laughter and from then on, the cast could do no wrong! The role of Sally Chessington, a bereavement councillor, played by Elizabeth was genuinely saintly and expertly acted with the right level of integrity that you really believed her need to help Norman whose fictitious father (who lived at no 344 too) had passed away.

Linda Swann, played by Sophie, who believes her marriage needs saving due to Eric’s strange behavior, perfectly evokes concerned and upset especially when finally, the revelation of Eric’s misdeeds is relayed to her, yet throughout she never loses her resolve that all will be well. She brings in Dr Chapman, played by Harry to help save her marriage. His mannerisms were subtly acted when attempting to speak and is told to sit down and shut up on numerous occasions or thinks better of speaking at all. I loved his delivery as he describes Eric as having a ‘suppressed mother fixation’.

Uncle George, was a dream part for Martin,, being unconscious most of the time and stealing the laughs. His athleticism and reactions being forced into a window box, slammed by shutting doors and wheeled around on a trolly gave the audience visible slapstick comedy and some. Poor Brenda Dixon fiancé of Norman is distraught when she believes Norman has died, elated when she finds him alive. Played cleverly by Rebecca who gave us the emotional extremes of her character adding even more layers to the hilarity of this piece. With her first appearance near the end of the play, Michelle Lockyer arrives as Ms. Cowper, the dreaded boss of Mr Jenkins and in control of all she surveys within the Benefits department. She is mistaken as being Norman dressed as woman as Eric nestles his face into her bosoms which was dealt with nonchalantly as she plays the role with utter composure.

Brilliantly written by Michael Cooney, following in the footsteps of his famous father,  Ray Cooney, who wrote the Whitehall Farces, this was a fast-moving production with outrageous characters portrayed by confident and talented actors who throughout did not drop a line and were blazingly funny. I have never laughed so much as I did throughout this utterly enthralling performance from this exceptional cast. What an excellent choice of production made by the society and directing such must have been a joy but also requiring vision from their first time director, Jamie Clarke. As he states ‘this was a riotous jigsaw’ to create and my goodness he did certainly do justice to the script.

The production team deserve praise as the set was designed and constructed well as were the stage props such as the uncontrollable washing machine and the hospital gurney.  It is exceptional when you leave a theatre still laughing having witnessed a farce of some force! Huge congratulations to everyone involved as this was, in my humble opinion, one of the very best productions I have had the pleasure to review. My very grateful thanks also go to the front of house team who always make John and I feel so welcomed. Well done indeed, Tiverton Drama Society, a triumph!

Lyn Burgoyne – Noda representative District 5 (Mid and East Devon)

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.