It’s Her Turn Now
The Mill at Sonning
Until November 18
0118 969 8000
An apparently dead body, an adulterous junior minister, a seemingly slow-witted waiter and a broken sash window.
Not your usual recipe for a Ray Cooney farce but from simple beginnings grows an intricate and bafflingly chaotic scenario which all takes place over just a couple of hours in suite 648 of the Westminster Hotel.
The cast features several regular favourites to the Mill: Elizabeth Elvin as the devious junior minister kept up her high energy performance from start to finish.
Harry Gostelow as the increasingly suspicious hotel manager managed to increase his indignance at the goings-on in his hotel with every entrance.
Charlie Parker-Swift as the – well, it would spoil the surprise to reveal his role in the proceedings, except to say he gives the performance of his life.
The show was arguably stolen by Felicity Duncan playing the minister’s assistant Georgia, who does her best to cover up her boss’s increasingly far-fetched indiscretions and fabrications while acquiring quite a number of amorous suitors.
James Holmes as the ‘room service’ waiter raised a chuckle with every entrance as he quickly realised that the evening had the potential to be rather lucrative for him.
This version has been adapted by Michael J Barfoot.
Ray Cooney was present on the opening night, and received an ovation from both cast and audience.
This truly was a memorable performance of an unusual, but highly entertaining, farce.
JUDITH CREIGHTON
