Play Details
Context
Artistic Director
Robert Kidd & Nicholas Wright
Dates Performed
Tuesday 3rd June 1975
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Play Details
Synopsis
England, 1960s
Two young men, after a bank heist, grapple with their futures: one seeks a fresh start with a nurse, unaware she’s connected to a dark secret from his partner’s past. As they dodge the law, hiding their loot becomes critical.
In this comedic farce, traditional moral compasses are flipped. Characters with supposed virtue are ridiculed, the law is tainted, and crimes go unpunished. With mothers and the deceased disregarded, the play gleefully challenges conventional morals.
Cast & Creative
Cast
James Aubrey
Cast
Jill Bennett
Cast
Michael O'Hagan
Cast
Arthur O'Sullivan
Cast
Philip Stone
Cast
David Troughton
Designer
Douglas Heap
Costume
Harriet Geddes
What our readers say
What is it like reading this play now?
The play’s absurdist theme, suggesting crime is inconsequential and poking fun at authority figures like corrupt policemen, still resonates and elicits laughter. While its critique of societal figures like parents and religious leaders remains humorous, the dialogue feels outdated in parts. As modern audiences move away from strict societal norms and religious dogmas, the characters feel somewhat distant from today’s realities.
What plays does it speak to/influence?
Other farcical plays; Noises off, The Play That Goes Wrong.
What films or music does it make you think of?
I would say it reminds me somewhat of Shakespeare’s comedies (Comedy of Errors for one), or Aphra Behn