THE two most important things I always hope for in a play are that the characters are true to life and the situation believable.
Eric Chappell certainly knows a thing or two about creating personalities, for it was he who gave us Rising Damp’s Rigsby and Miss Jones, and he comes up trumps again with this excellent comedy. The Players’ production is absolutely spot-on, beautifully directed by Lyn Richell and splendidly performed by a strong cast with a real chemistry between them.
Peter Watson oozes simmering frustration as harassed father and bookshop owner Alec Firth, whose plans to spend a few days in Spain with his employee, Liz (Sarah Long), while his wife, Maggie (Lyn Whiteside), is visiting ‘three capitals and the bulbfields in five days’ are thwarted at every turn. There are delightful characterisations too from the causes of Alec’s frustration: Val Mantle as his mother, Phoebe, James Cooke as his son, Jamie, and Joanne Guess as his daughter, Mandy.
So well did they create their chaotic situation that I could easily imagine the much-mentioned old people’s home, hospital, sun-bed and M25 traffic jam, and as for those fleas – well, I’m still itching now.

Linda Kirkman
Courtesy of the Bournemout Daily Echo