For the next two weekends, theatre lovers can indulge their passion by attending the production of ‘Funny Money’, being staged at the Prospect Playhouse Theatre by the Cayman Drama Society.
The Ray Cooney farce provides some truly laugh-out-loud moments, thanks to a strong local cast, all of whom – but one – are very familiar faces.
Plot
As the curtains open, the lights come up on a living room, where Jean Perkins (Agata Kalicki) is happily pottering around… but not for long. When husband Henry (Michael McLaughlin) flies through the door soon after, appearing to babble incoherently about tickets, passports and packing cases, Jean has to catch up with events from his past few hours. Reaching for the bottle helps immensely when it comes to calming her nerves, as Henry explains that in picking up the wrong briefcase on his way home, they have suddenly come into a fortune of £735,000.
His plan is for them to fly out immediately, one way, and start living the high life. But there are hiccups to deal with first. It’s Henry’s birthday, and best friends Betty and Vic Johnson (Addie Ade-Yusuf and Liam Oko) will be knocking on the door any moment for dinner.
Just when the Perkinses think that’s all they have to handle, shifty copper Detective Sergeant Davenport (Gabrielle Wheaton) comes sniffing around, sporting a moustache so impressive, it deserves its own credit in the programme. Then there is Bill the cab driver (Adam Roberts) who has been booked to take the couple to the airport, but keeps getting stuck with a running meter and no passengers, as plans unravel.
Betty and Vic arrive and are taken into the Perkinses confidence about their embarrassment of riches, which also means they are now drawn into the necessary deceptions to keep it all on the down-low. By now, Jean is properly plastered, and another police officer – Detective Sergeant Slater (Mike Bishop) – appears, throwing an additional spanner in the works.
There are reports of a murder; the phone won’t stop ringing, with someone unintelligible on the other end; and there are some definite misconceptions about the relationships between the characters, created in order to keep the briefcase hidden at all costs.
Does it all work out in the end? Do the Perkinses get to keep the money, or are numerous arrests made? Does Bill the cabbie ever get to the airport and get paid?
As you’ve probably gathered, it’s a winding road to the answer, but with the show clocking in at a nice tight 2 hours and 15 minutes, including the interval, the pace of the action rarely drops, keeping everyone entertained. There were some real guffaws throughout the theatre from an appreciative audience.
Cast
McLaughlin – channelling the late, great comedic actor Terry Thomas – is a whirlwind of energy. His capacity for learning lines alone, dazzles, particularly considering the cavalcade of names and their connections that he has to keep straight.
Kalicki perfectly embodies the highly-strung wife, down to her mannerisms and the way she walks. She has also impressively mastered playing drunk, which is so easy to overdo. Wheaton is hilarious playing a male role, all glinting sideways glances, using that moustache to its full effect; and Roberts is so convincing as the cab driver character, you’d easily believe he does it for a living in real life.
Oko is great, as ever, playing the buffoon Vic, who goes along with the schemes dreamt up by Henry on the fly, to an almost bonkers degree at one point. And Bishop, as the straight cop who would give his kingdom for a cup of tea, if someone would just follow through on their promise of getting it for him, is perfect for his role. He’s trying to be patient and understanding, but this lot are driving him around the bend.
In the company of all these veteran actors, a newbie might stand out a mile, but Ade-Yusuf makes a terrific first impression as Betty, who ministers to the drunken Jean until her own monetary ambitions take over. Hopefully this won’t be the last time we see her on the local stage.
The last member of the cast is Dominic Wheaton, who is playing just a passerby… or is he? We won’t go into further details, but suffice it to say that even his brief appearance is well done.
Crew
Paul Njoka, who has directed several Cayman Drama Society productions in the past, is the director of ‘Funny Money’, with Vanessa Hansen-Allott as producer. Paul de Freitas, Liam Oko, Peter Pasold, Bill Mervyn and Michael Forster have done a terrific job creating the set, and the rest of the crew are: Caroline Neale-Allenger (production assistance); Emma Oko (stage manager); Agata Kalicki (costumes); Giji Alex (properties); Kirsty O’Sullivan (CDS liaison); Jardae Barnes, Becky Gaze and Owen Bard (sound and lighting); and Paula George (backstage).
Final thoughts
If you’re looking for some belly laughs, ‘Funny Money’ will definitely provide them. There’s not a weak performer in the bunch. There is some innuendo and double-entendres, along with implied hanky panky and ‘bad language’ but it’s certainly not overt. It’s understandable why it is rated PG-16, but there is no in-your-face offensiveness. Maybe slightly raunchier than ‘Benny Hill’ is how we’d rate it.
This is a lighthearted comedy, well executed by local actors. Enjoy!
‘Funny Money’ is running Thursday-Saturday, 11-20 Aug. Doors open at 6:30pm with curtain at 7:30pm. Tickets are available online at www.cds.ky/funny-money at $25 for adults and $15 for students.
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