This is the name of the play we went to see yesterday at Hedgerow Theatre (http://www.hedgerowtheatre.org). This play is a farce by English playwright and actor Ray Cooney. It is set in the home of an English Naval Commander’s house. The list of characters are:
- Nancy Remington (commanders daughter) played by Tara Haupt
- Commander Remington played by Bob Liga
- Hoskins the gardener played by Bob Meenan
- Alicia Courtney played by Rachel Holmes
- Petrovyan played by David Polgar
- Gerry Buss played by Carl Smith
- Mr. Lavar played by Zoran Kovcic
- Constable Pulford played by Jim Fryer
- Janet Remington (commanders wife) played by Susan Wefel
- Bobby Hargreaves played by Thomas-Robert Irvin
The Play starts with the Commander just coming home from the Russian Embassy were he saw Petrovyan dance with an English dancer, who is Nancy’s friend, Alicia Courtney. Unknown to the Commander Alicia has smuggled Petrovyan away from the embassy in the boot of the his car. When the commander says he is going fishing Nancy and Alicia have to stall the Commander while they get Petrovyan out of the car and into the house. After the Commander leaves to go fishing until midnight Nancy’s fiancé, Gerry Buss, arrives and tells them they are in big trouble as he is a civil servant in the British Government (the PA to the PPSS to the PM) and they have to send Petrovyan back to the Russians. Well Nancy will have none of that and talks Gerry into helping them. The real fun starts when Mr. Lavar arrives with a coded message for the Commander. Well Gerry puts on the Commander’s uniform to try to get rid of Mr. Lavar and Alicia pretends to be his wife with Nancy as the nannie to their children. Well it just gets funnier and funnier as the Commander comes back and Gerry has to pretend (just to the Commander) that he is Commander Davey Jones-Locker. As more characters are introduced the story line just gets better. I do need to say that the energy and skill all the actors showed was excellent but I have to point out Carl Smith (Gerry Buss, Commander Remmington and Commander Davey Jones-Locker) who has more energy then a 90 MPH fast ball. We saw him last year in One For The Pot another Ray Cooney farce and he has not slowed down one bit. It is an excellent play done by excellent actors/actresses and we have not laughed so much or so loud in a long time. If you ever have a chance to see one of Ray Cooney’s farces (there are 40 of them I believe) do go and see it, you will not be disappointed.
