Tom Dick and Harry

This farce by Ray Cooney and son Michael is new to me and the convoluted plot would certainly need the brain of Einstein to unravel coherently.

It starts slowly as we are introduced to the characters involved in the mayhem. We begin with Tom and Linda who are awaiting a visit from Mrs Potter to see if they are fit to adopt.  The situation begins to deteriorate when Tom’s brothers, of whom Linda disapproves, enter with a vanload of contraband, two illegal immigrants from Kosovo and a bag of human body parts from the hospital morgue!  The body parts are to bury under the patio to try to bring the price of the flat down to help them become owner-occupiers and better placed to adopt.  To avoid Linda bumping into his brothers Tom sends her to the council offices to see Mrs Potter who is, actually, on her way to the house.  A dodgy tax disc (remember those) attracts the attention of the law but fortunately the local copper is not bright enough to link up the contraband clearly visible in the van and the two Kosovans.  Add to this a gangster, who arrives wanting money from the immigrants and you can only imagine the turmoil. Could it get any worse? Only if the body parts became loose. Yep you guessed – confusion ensues. 

The staging of farce is tricky. One door opens as another door shuts and timing is key. Director Norman Holness knew exactly how to use every inch of the set he was given. The pace of the production as a whole wasn’t always in sync with the style of the piece but every effort was made to get the most out of it. Props and furniture were suitable for the production and the sound was consistent throughout. The lighting added to the atmosphere effectively and the costumes were appropriate for each character.

Tom was brilliantly played by director Norman Holness who not only took on the role of director part way through rehearsals but ended up playing this part due to the original lead actor’s hospitalisation only a couple of weeks previously! I’m sure there is a farce waiting to be written in that! His wealth of experience showed and he ably manoeuvred his way through the production giving us a variety of heartfelt emotions. I especially enjoyed his Shakespearian interludes! He balanced nicely with newcomer Louise Dekker, as his wife Linda, who brought plenty of uptight attitude and life-long frustration to the role.

Joe Morgan as the middle brother Harry has an obvious ability to play comedy. His timing is great and he isn’t afraid to show the character's feelings on his face as well as his sleeve. A very enjoyable performer to watch.  As the youngest brother Dick, Connor White made a commendable debut showing plenty of potential for the future. In the future he needs to keep his diction clear at all times if he is to sustain his performance level.

As a disgrace to the force due to her inability to detect crime, Libby Russell expertly played the mannerisms of a rather inept policewoman who took rather longer than you would think to link the clues together. Her performance was clear and confident. All the characters in this piece are lacking a brain cell or two apart from the formidable Mrs Potter, who Tom constantly manoeuvres into the dining room to wait for Linda’s return whilst he tries to clear the house.  Ann White made the most of this character with some wonderful light and shade and the best exit I’ve seen from a play in a while. If you were going to adopt you certainly wouldn’t want to encounter this woman! Nick Easton as Andreas, Keri Blackwell as Katerina (the illegal immigrants) and Paul Stanbridge as Boris all contributed manfully to the mayhem.

There was a real company ethic shown during this production and I’m so pleased you continued through all the trials you faced along the way. My congratulations. As always you should be commended for your commitment and effort throughout.

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