And there was no doubt that the audience for Ray Cooney's Caught in the Net at the Abbey Theatre on Saturday night absolutely loved it. True, the Company of Ten does farce well - after years of reviewing I still remember their brilliant production of Michael Frayn's Noises Off.
Caught in the Net, the sequel to Ray Cooney's Run for Your Wife but a standalone play in its own right, is extremely funny - although I was a bit concerned that the amount of opening, shutting and locking of the variety of doors on stage would end in disaster.
Farce, more than any other comedy, requires excellent timing and it is hard to fault the Company of Ten in that respect. No cues were missed and, although there were one or two moments of slight confusion over names, that was hardly surprising.
Tony Bradburn, no slouch in the comedy department himself, directs Caught in the Net and if Rory Byrne in the main role as John Smith has to drop out for any reason, it does not take a great leap of imagination to see him slotting into the role.
That in no way detracts from Rory's part in the proceedings which perfectly captures the dilemma bigamist John Smith finds himself in when it looks as though his carefully-contrived houses of cards look likely to collapse,
Rory is particularly good in the scenes where he is teamed up with Tony Sidoli, himself reprising the role of Stanley Gardner which he took when the Company of Ten put on Run for Your Wife in 1994.
Tony is excellent as the hapless stooge Stanley, particularly in the scenes where there is misunderstanding about his personal life and who exactly is in his flat upstairs.
The production is definitely boosted when Stanley's dad, played by Trevor Lenson, arrives on the scene. The archetypal confused old man, he plays the part with relish and brings a Benny Hill-type addition to the proceedings.
Beverley Robley and Tina Swain play John's hapless wives and Mike Hall as Gavin and Laura Fairclough as Vicki, his offspring by the two women, show there is plenty of talent coming through the ranks.
Caught in the Net should not be missed by lovers of farce and can be seen on the Abbey Theatre main stage until Saturday 19 November.
MADELEINE BURTON
© Herts Advertiser, November 2005. Reproduced by permission