Habeas Corpus

This play could easily be catalogued as a farce as there were trousers falling down, lots of accidental groping and ladies in their undies but Habeas Corpus is so much more than a farce. It makes fun of the middle classes who seem to be obsessed with sex and their personal appearances.

The Wicksteed family and their affairs brought lots of laughter and yet there were moments when the characters paused and shared their thoughts with the audience and some of these were very moving.

The play is held together by a housekeeper who links the scenes and keeps the audience informed as to what is happening.There were the standard farcical figures of a disfunctional family, a pregnant young lady and a lecherous vicar all contributing to a complicated and hilarious story.I couldn't pick out an individual performance as all the roles were played to perfection.They fitted their parts perfectly and had obviously worked hard on their characters. The skilful directing was evident in the clever groupings of the cast and smooth movement from scene to scene.

The costumes were well thought out and everything fell down or fell off at the right time! A simple set was all that was needed, just a few well chosen seats and black drapes, with all the action on stage there was no need for a complex set.

This was first class entertainment and I love to come away from a production with lots to think about.

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