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Richard is chairman of the Dead Funny Society, a group of comedy enthusiasts who meet regularly to celebrate the memory of dead comedians. Eleanor is his long suffering wife who does not share his obsession and is deeply unhappy that her husband now shuns all physical contact with her, ofter using the society as an excuse to avoid intimacy with her. The couple have been seeing a councellor, at Eleanor's insistence, to try to resurrect the physical side of their relationship. But Richard is reluctant to play along with the sexual games the councellor has set for them, blaming his indifference on lack of libido. The latest of these sessions is interrupted when the doorbell rings. Cue Brian, a member of the Dead Funny society, bringing the news that Benny Hill has died. Seizing the opportunity to escape from his wife, Richard throws himself into calling round the members of the society, spreading the news and organising a social evening to mark his passing.
The events of that evening then provide the bulk of the storyline. We soon discover that Richard has no lack of libido so far as Lisa, the wife of his friend Nick, is concerned. As the evening progresses complications arise. Another society member staging a power coup has organised a rival gathering, Brian chooses a bad moment to 'come out of the closet' and announce his homosexuality, and Ellie has finally reached breaking point. Amid the reminiscing and re-enactments of comedy sketches sexual tensions boil over in an explosive finale.
This is certainly not a play for the prudish, laced with strong language, sexual references, full frontal male nudity and Lysette Anthony in a basque! It is a play for the broadminded seeking comic entertaining with a little something extra. On that scale it certainly delivers. The five strong cast are exceptional in their portrayals of five very different characters and clearly loved their work. The re-creation of an old Morecambe and Wise sketch involving four of the characters is entered into with some gusto and is tearfully funny. The humour throughout flowed without seamlessly without ever appearing forced and the timing of the exchanges between the players was impeccable.
The action all took place in the living room at the home of Richard and Eleanor and the set was meticulously constructed, complete with working TV and video. On the walls were photographs of many of the golden greats of comedy, front my front row seat I counted, Arthur Askey, Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise, Frankie Howerd, Benny Hill and Les Dawson to name but a few. All in all, from set to dialogue to performances, this was a top quality production.
Nicholas Tennant was superb as Richard. It cannot be easy to disrobe entirely and carry on acting whilst completly naked, especially in such a small auditorium as the Courtyard at the WY Playhouse where the front row of the audience are only an arms reach away. Later, when fully clothed, he gave more than passable impersonations of both Frankie Howard and Tony Hancock. Lysette Anthony gave an equally good account as his frustrated wife Eleanor, and the simmering tensions between these two were near perfectly played. Her's was the most 'straight' role but her one joke, told in an angry style when Eleanor was accused of having no sense of humour, was the funniest moment of the evening. Natalie Walter as the air-headed Lisa played the part with a wonderful air of bewilderment. Andrew Frame as Lisa's husband Nick captured the restrained anger and disappointment inherent to his character such conviction that when he finally breaks we all share in his anguish. Derek Hutchinson as the closet homosexual Brian was, as Lisa proclaimed at one point in the evening, more camp than a line of tents.
A bawdy, sexy comic farce. Hugely entertaining but certainly not for the narrow minded.