A lively comic romp

'LOOK NO HANS', performed by the Boundary Players, at The William Penney Theatre, May 9 to 13

Peter Fisher runs the Berlin office of a British car company, and doubles as a secret agent. When his wife's plane home to England is delayed, and he is visited in quick succession by his mistress, a singing telegram girl, and a senior agent who is waiting for a top spy from the East, Peter's plans for a quiet birthday soon go out the window (along with several of his guests).

This, in a nutshell, is the plot of 'Look No Hans', a hilarious romp by John Chapman and Michael Pertwee, performed recently by the Boundary Players at the William Penney Theatre. like most farce, the plot is soon lost in a comic web of misunderstandings, over-reactions, and other twists and turns, as the cast leap energetically towards an improbable, but very funny, conclusion.

Farce is incredibly difficult to do well, and all credit goes to Pam Terry's cast for an extremely lively production. Even if the play took a little while to gather pace in the first act, the first night performance was delivered with great gusto. Gary Scrivens as Paul deserves particular praise; never off stage for more than a few seconds, he demonstrated great versatility and style as the hapless salesman struggling to stop his guests discovering the truth about each other.

Denise Ashton was well cast as Paul's trusting wife Monica, her confusion building with each bizarre turn of events. Mary Mendum, displayed great comic timing as Mitzi, the singing telegram who spends the entire play perfecting the art of omelette making. Seasoned performer Colin Benharn made a delightful Cadwallader, his pompous facade crumbling into panic when Peter persuades him that Monica is a mad axe-woman with a voracious appetite for men.

Jean Mead, giving a gung-ho performance as Tregunter-Jones, and Pat Archer, as the tenacious mistress Heidi, completed a well-drilled cast.

A hilarious evening!

MARK LILLICROP