Funny Money

It has been some time since I saw a Ray Cooney Comedy and I had forgotten just how funny they can be and just how hard it must be too produce this type of farce, with its quick firing dialogue, split-second timing and the numerous doors for endless exits and entrances. It is a trademark of British Farce that people are discovered in comprising situations meaning they have to try and talk their way out of them and when the doorbell rings it’s never who you think it’s going to be. Funny Money, which was first performed in 1994, is no exception to the above. The script has a rather dry Britishness; with lots of physical comedy and a large amount of comical wordplay, changing of identities and Innuendo.   

Personally I have always felt that in general comedy plays and performances are very underrated especially farce, as not everybody has the gift of comic timing and the special kind of talent needed to perform in this type of genre. However I am very pleased to say that the cast in this production at Wigan Little Theatre pulled out all the stops and produced an excellent quick firing very funny farce.

The play centres around  Henry Perkins who mistakenly picks up the wrong briefcase. He discovers £735,000 in fifty pound notes inside instead of his office papers and his half a cheese and chutney sandwich. He goes to a nearby pub where he heads for the men’s toilets and counts the money several times in disbelief, he also has a few drinks to steady his nerves. He finally arrives home a bit drunk, he assumes that such a large amount of money in cash is most probably from illicit gains and hopes that whoever owns the briefcase may not want to inform the police, but rather than risk it Henry decided that they should leave the country after giving the owner of the briefcase the nickname Mr. Nasty. He tells his confused wife Jean to pack a few basic things as they are both taking a taxi to the airport and flying first class to Barcelona. However Jean doesn’t want to go to Barcelona and it is Henry’s birthday and they were expecting friends Betty and Vic for dinner. From this moment on the situation becomes more and more fraught, especially after the arrival of a policeman which sends Henry and Jean into a  bit of a spin and they begin to make up stories. Then Betty and Vic arrive followed by another policeman with the result Betty and Vic become willing accomplices in the deception. Unfortunately Henry and Jean end up telling each new arrival a different story, while still trying to make some coherent sense of what’s going on. Also Henry, Jean, Vic and Betty swap identities and relationships  frequently. they become  Australians, brothers and sisters,  sex workers, and each other’s in-laws, add into the mix a taxi driver who constantly comes and goes looking for his continuing changing fair to the airport and confusion and havoc ensues.

Director John Churnside brought together an excellent group of actors who had outstanding comic timing. Each member of the cast was integral to the success of this play so it was important they worked together as a team with no weak links, a task they were all able to achieve very well.The castincluded Paul Dawson who gave an outstanding comedy performance in the substantial central role of Henry and he was complemented excellently by Lesley Anderson in her performance as his wife Jean, both producing a very believable relationship. Their friends Betty and Vic were brilliantly played by Stacy Vernon and Paul Leffler who’s character was rather confused most of the time, trying to remember who he was supposed to be as the stories changed, which was very funny.Peter Jones was Bill the taxi driver who pulled off excellently his important entrances and exits at just the right time in the dialogue. The two Police officers were two very different opposite characters and both actors were spot on in their interpretation, they were John Dudley as Davenport and Richard Ellis as Slater and the battered but dangerous passerby was played by Chris Boyle.

Generally diction and projection was very good and all the dialogue could be heard meaning the audience could try and follow what was happening on the stage which was part of the enjoyment of the proceedings. There was very good use of the stage area and the pace which was integral to the success of this play was just right.

Congratulations must go to all the designers, builders, painters, backstage  crew, and props, a great deal of thought must have gone into building and dressing| the excellent authentic set as it made an excellent platform for the actors to work on. Also well done to the technical crew. I enjoyed the sixties music during the interval it was very nostalgic. Costumes were just right for the characters and gave authenticity to the production.

Congratulations to all involved in this very funny outstanding production where there was lots of laughter and enjoyment from the audience. Everyone must have worked very hard to pull off such an entertaining evenings entertainment. Thank you very much for inviting us, we had a very enjoyable evening.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.