Cash On Delivery
by Michael Cooney
Performed at Church Hill Theatre, Morningside Road
Wednesday 19th - Saturday 22nd May 2010
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Creative Team
The Cast
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Synopsis:
Eric Swan (aided by his Uncle and unbeknown to his wife) has pocketed thousands of pounds through fraudulent DSS claims. When Norman (the lodger) opens the door to the DSS Inspector, deceptive mayhem follows — as do the undertaker, bereavement counsellor, psychiatrist, Norman's fiancée, a corpse, the ominous Ms Cowper and a rather rebellious washing machine!
Cooney's riotous farce has all the ingredients for rib-tickling hilarity and an evening of laughter for all the family is guaranteed.
Review:
Edinburgh Evening News - Thom Dibdin (Friday, 21st May 2010) ***
Cash On Delivery
THE laughs are queuing up to jump off the stage at the Church Hill this week in Edinburgh People's Theatre fast-paced production of Michael Cooney's Cash on Delivery. This is premium-grade farce material, with a convoluted plot featuring mistaken identity, clever word play, groan-nducing puns, crossed lines and even some cross-dressing.
Eric Swan, played with bundles of energy by Ronnie Millar, is a man with a secret. One mistake by the Department of Social Security has led to another as a fortuitous overpayment to a recently departed lodger has led him to nurture a whole tribe of fictitious lodgers with a ward full of ailments.
Now the DSS's Mr Jenkins, given the perfect level of pompous petty-officialdom by Graham Bell, is at the front door to check up on a detail, but while Eric can quickly cover up with one lie, the untruths are soon multiplying.
Before long, the real lodger is blackmailed into helping in the deceit, and Mr Jenkins is getting close to uncovering the truth.
The big success of the production is in its pace and timing. There's no pausing for thought as Eric attempts to dig himself out of that ever-deepening hole. It's a bit rough round the edges at times, but never enough to impinge on your enjoyment.
Just when you thought the situation could not get worse, it invariably does.
In short, director John Henderson makes the best of what he has to work with, creating a dynamic production that laughs equally heartily at the self-satisfied officialdom and Eric's crazy attempts to conceal the truth.
The one niggle is with Will MacIver who plays lodger, Norman Bassett.
While the rest of the characters have to be seemingly unredeemable, Norman is the fool lost in a muddle that is not of his making. As well as sporting an accent that skips back and forth across the Irish sea within a sentence, MacIver doesn't create a likeable enough character to exploit the audience's pity – not that this spoils the mirth-making a jot though.