Farce in all its glory at Kenilworth theatre

FARCE, we are told by Graham Underhill, who directs this latest offering at the Talisman, is a ‘comic dramatic piece that uses highly improbable situations, stereotyped characters, extravagant exaggeration and violent horseplay’.

Given this definition, theatre-goers to this Neil Simon comedy will certainly not be disappointed. From the word go, we are thrown into a ridiculous and convoluted condundrum which rapidly spirals out of control like an unravelling ball of string that loops around itself into impossible knots.

It is cartoon-like in its improbability - loud bickering between husband-and-wife Ken and Chris Bevans over what to say to the doctor on the other side of the telephone as if he cannot hear, for example - and there is no shortage of extravagant exaggeration or stereotypes throughout the play. We have a suspicious psychiatrist, an ego-driven politician, a dramatic television celebrity, two stressed lawyers and a seen-it-all-no-nonense copper.

While the cast do a terrific job of lampooning about the stage and stepping into the wrong situations at every stage - while the audience cringe with delight - some of the jokes are a little overdone for my personal tastes. When Ken goes momentarily deaf for part of the action, for example, one or two exploits of this in the name of comedy would have sufficed. But instead we were given a constant stream.

Yet we must remember that repetition is also an important of farce so appropriate to the genre. Just make sure farce is what you are after as farce is definitely what you are going to get.

One more note - if the weather is anything like it was on Monday (the hottest day of the year so far), then take a fan and plenty of water as the crowded theatre in Barrow Road was very, very warm.

Sundari Sankar