Reporter: Colin Meredith
Date online: 12/06/2008

The St Annes players production of Ray Cooney's farce "It Runs in the Family" is set in the doctors' common room of St. Andrews Hospital. It's 10:45 a.m., three days before Christmas. Dr. David Mortimore (played by Ian Mansfield) sits polishing the most important speech of his life – a speech he will deliver at noon before 200 distinguished colleagues, a speech which will surely earn him prestige and promotion and probably a Knighthood.

What could possibly go wrong? Well everything imaginable. To begin, Mortimer's ex-mistress, Jane Tate (Susan Howarth), pops back into his life after having disappeared mysteriously eighteen years (and nine months) earlier. She's not alone. She's brought Dr. Mortimore a Christmas surprise – a son he didn't know he had sired (Michael Partington). Mortimore has been married 20 years, but not to Miss Tate.

The surprise, a son by the name of Leslie, has a drinking problem, and a very bad attitude. And he's looking for his father, whom he knows to be one of the doctors on staff. Meanwhile the clock is ticking, and Mortimore is harassed by, Sir Willoughby Drake (Jack Leach); pestered by his suspicious wife (Barbara Fielden); interrogated by a determined police sergeant (Neil Bamford); stalked by a syringe-toting, amorous matron (Mavis Shellard); and distracted by a very confused patient Bill (Keith Taylor).

So he does the only thing possible. He lies. He pins paternity on his best friend, Dr. Hubert Bonney (Andy McKay), and he concocts desperate lies to explain each new complication. But the devil's in the details. And inevitably he's confronted by the cop, the son, the mistress, the wife, the colleague, the supervisor all of whom have been told slightly different stories.

Properly staged farce is not easy to direct and Linda Kent gets the best out of her talented company. It only works when actors have precise timing and the audience only missed lines because they were laughing so much.

Veteran performer Ian Mansfield and the reliable Andy McKay perform beautifully together. Newcomer Michael Partington is to be encouraged to do more and with experience will not find it as funny as the audience. In fact there is not a weak performance to be found. A special mention must go to Keith Taylor who delivered some very amusing moments as the senile, wheel chaired Bill.

Supporting players also deliver solid performances: Peter Dignan as Dr. Mike Connelly, Barbara Fielden as Rosemary Mortimer, Christine Simpson as Sister, and Dorothy Kenny as Mother and Jack Leach as Sir Willoughby Drake. It all made for laughter filled evening that should be prescribed on the National Health.

It Runs In The Family by Ray Cooney
St. Annes Players
Parish Hall
2 - 5 February 2005