WHAT would you do if, on your birthday, having picked up the wrong brief case on the way home from work, you discover inside it £735,000 in used notes instead of some office papers and the half a cheese and chutney sandwich you expected it to contain? The reaction of one man, Henry Perkins, to this unexpected wealth is the starting point for Ray Cooney’s ‘Funny Money’, an uproarious comedy currently playing at Holsworthy’s HATS theatre, writes Christine Williams.

Characters in farce are always on the edge of disaster and from here on the lives of Henry and his wife Jean become more and more fraught.

The pivotal role of Henry Perkins is brilliantly played by Dave King, who is on stage throughout almost the entire play. For two hours he sustains superb comic timing and invention as his character improvises and juggles his way to stay one step ahead of every obstacle to his dream of running off to Barcelona with his windfall.

The role of Henry’s wife, Jean, gives Diana Sluggett plenty of scope for comedy as she transforms herself from a complaining housewife who sees no reason to pack her suitcase and leave home forever to taking to the bottle and being helplessly drunk, then finally ready to swap husbands.

Alan Eyles plays the crooked cop Davenport, who threatens at first, then is ready to accept bribes as he worms his way into the plot and has to pose as Henry’s brother in front of another policeman.

That model policeman, Slater, played by Colin Burton, has the task of breaking the news to Jean that apparently her husband has been shot in the head and thrown into the Thames.

With all the authority he can muster he remains incorruptible as he tries, with great patience, to investigate the crime and make sense of the folly going on around him.

Martin Jordan plays Vic Johnson, who with his wife, is invited to dinner and gets unexpectedly drawn into Henry Perkins’ machinations.

Like a rabbit in the headlights, he is always one step behind the plot and with his combination of physical comedy and facial expressions Martin shows what a real flair he has for farce. In contrast, his wife, Betty, played by Stephanie Devoy, is very quick on the uptake and is so convincing as the understanding, sympathetic friend that her sudden willingness to run off with Henry to Barcelona comes as a surprise.

Peter Whitehead is completely believable as Bill, a long-suffering London cab driver, as he tries to make sense of the various people, real and imagined, whom he is supposed to drive to the airport but who never seem ready to leave.

Roger Chapple makes a brief but vital appearance as the much-feared Dutch speaking ‘Mr Big’ who bursts in, brandishing a revolver, revealing himself as the murderer and demanding the ‘burfkas’ containing the money.

Director, Ken Tyrell, currently on his 13th production for HATS, once again proves himself to be an experienced and skillful director, and brings out the best in his cast.

Farcical routines such as switching identical briefcases and pulling up a blanket at critical moments to conceal the money have been well drilled.

The cast is to be congratulated for their amazing memories as they swap names, identities and relationships so frequently and swiftly that it is a miracle they remember who they really are at the end of the show. David Moorley too is to be complimented for the superb set of the Perkins’ living room.

‘Funny Money’ continues for three more performances starting at 7.30pm (tonight) on Thursday 22, until Saturday 24. Tickets, priced £8.00 (concessions £6.00), are still available between 10am and 3pm from the Box Office or by phoning the theatre on 01409 253826.