Comical bullet hits the target

Frank Vickery’s hilarious tale of Ted, who is undergoing a mid-life crisis, and his home-loving and somewhat frumpy wife was superbly and humorously directed by Barbara Brown.

Philip McLaughlin was excellent as the balding Ted who, although 58, still feels as if he’s in his twenties.

Never missing an opportunity to put down his wife of 32 years – Beryl superbly played by Christine Steele – Ted dismisses her dress sense when she is about to accompany him to his firm’s dinner-dance.

Beryl decides enough is enough, so refuses to go with him.

Instead she follows him in a cab, sees him dancing with Suzanne from Accounts, and waits up to demand answers when he arrives home.

Ted is never going to set the world on fire, but doesn’t hesitate to seize the opportunity to declare that he is leaving home ... even though he insists that he is not having an affair with Suzanne.

There then ensues much hilarity with the intervention of well-meaning next-door-neighbour Dawn, sparklingly played by Adele Bird, and man-eating sympathetic daughter Angie, ably played by Maria Adamson.

Regular references to the ‘woman in the post office’ who seems to be the fount of all village gossip added to the fun.

A hunky gardener in the shape of Scott – Ian Spencer – who can turn his hand to anything from gardening to decorating (and maybe other things) adds to the sparkle and mixes up the delicious plot.

The living-room set was lovely. The cast was well-chosen and the characters were very believable, making this a most enjoyable evening.

The only drawback was the seemingly unnecessary long waits between the scenes (ten of them!) which must have added almost half an hour to the length of the play.

Jenny Robson