Cash On Delivery
Bingley Arts Centre

What an opener for the new season of plays at Bingley Little Theatre. Fast-paced from the start, we raced through the evening, the plot got more and more involved as we went along, but all in a perfectly clear way.

Typical of all farces, the twists and turns abound as each new person comes in the front door.

Eric Swan, played by Phil Holbrough, has been defrauding the welfare authorities for years. He's in cahoots with his Uncle George, played by Garth Rookes, by claiming every type of benefit available for the many people he claims live at his address. When the benefits office inspector arrives, mayhem ensues.

The whole cast were great in their roles, notably Phil as Eric and Ned Sproston as Norman Bassett, the lodger, who between them did justice to a breathtaking whirlwind of dialogue which swept us from one scenario to the next. Other parts were excellently cast, from Linda Swan, playing Carol Southby, to the dour Ms Cowper (Debbie Linton). There wasn’t a weak link among them.

All credit to the director, Mark Brown, who also had to step in at the last minute to play the part of Mr Jenkins, the benefits office inspector, when a cast member had to pull out due to illness.

An excellent evening’s entertainment. Runs until Saturday.

Damien Preece