Chase Me Comrade

Chase Me Comrade, written by that master of British farce, Ray Cooney, was inspired by the true story of Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defecting to the West in 1961. It debuted in Windsor in March 1964, and then had a three year run at the Whitehall Theatre in London. It has all the elements of a good farce: fast pace, a set with many entrances, lots of mistaken and transferred identities, and all the physical humour and silliness that this genre requires.

The curtain opened to a splendid, well-furnished box set that made the most of the compact stage and somehow managed to cram in five doorways, a staircase and a large fireplace (enough to accommodate three people at one point). Take a bow Graham Barrett and the set design and construction team – no amount of door slamming could shake this solid set! Lighting and sound effects were excellent too, and costumes were most appropriate for the period, especially the ladies’ outfits (although sadly there was no credit for the wardrobe in the otherwise very informative programme).

Director Teresa Encke has assembled a really talented cast who did her proud, building up the tension and pace perfectly as one improbable situation piled upon another, confusion reigned supreme, trousers dropped to ankles and characters chased each other on and off stage. Of course the enthusiastic audience responded with gales of laughter - it was a totally exhausting show to watch!

Arch villain of mayhem was James Batchelor as Gerry Buss who desperately tried to resolve every situation thrown upon him. What energy he put into this part, somehow managing to make each reaction seem quite logical, and all the while maintaining an air of innocence and giving a wonderful array of facial expressions. He was ably assisted by Rowenna Gordon as his fiancée Nancy, who somehow managed to be the calm voice of reason, and Sarah Shaw as Alicia Courtney, friend of the Russian ballet dancer Rudi Petrovyan (Toby Finch). Sarah was every inch the supportive friend while Toby gave Petrovyan a nice aloofness and showed perfect dancer’s poise in his every movement. His use of Russian (which, from my limited knowledge, sounded real) and his accent were well-maintained throughout.

Paul Foster was perfect as the gardener Hoskins, completely bewildered by everything going on around him, culminating in his classic line “am I still the gardener?” Richard Meeson was spot on with his portrayal of the easily distracted MI5 officer Laver; Steve Guermonprez was convincing as Nancy’s father Commander Rimmington, seemingly oblivious to all the confusion going on around him; Martyn Kille was ideal as the much put-upon Constable Pulford. Coming in right at the height of the chaos was Jo Walker as Mrs Rimmington – she somehow seemed to glide calmly through the confusion with an air of bemusement, as did Tony Smith as neighbour Bobby. Their appearances served to bring matters to a head and burst the frantic bubble that had been so skilfully built up.

Well done Hambledon!  You entertained us royally with this skilfully acted gem of real British Farce, and the packed audience had an evening of riotous laughter.

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