Keep it Simple (24:7 Theatre Festival)

There’s nothing quite like a wedding to bring a family together, is there? But when it involves Kate (Shelley O’Brian)’s ex and her current husband, things get a little tricky. As an agony aunt Kate is used to solving problems, but she flounders a little when it comes to approaching her own. Throw in some whisky, a gun, an owl, poetic ramblings, a Tupac quote and a pregnancy and it’s anything but simple.

This gentle comedy is terribly British, even in anger everyone’s mostly polite, and the laughs come regularly but more as chuckles than guffaws. In fact the comedy works best when the men are together. Embarrassing attempts at male bonding and one-upmanship from the poet father Ted (Dennis Jobling) and chiropodist stepfather Doug (John Summer) of the bride are well played out. Jobling and Summer are the best bits of the whole piece, with a big performance from Jobling in particular as the failed, wounded, ageing, increasingly desperate poet and Summer as an excellent drunk! We’re more used to seeing the point of view of the happy couple or the mother/daughter bond before weddings so it’s a welcome change to see the men jockeying for position and talking about relationships.

But all in all it feels a little nostalgic for TV sitcoms from the 80s like Home to Roost, Duty Free. Nothing earth shattering, but solid writing, a few big laughs and some good performances but with a couple of pretty-much superfluous characters.

Farnes Productions present Keep it Simple at the Midland Hotel, Victoria Suite as part of 24:7 Theatre Festival on Tuesday 26 July 12.30pm, Wednesday 27 July 9pm, Thursday 28 July 7.30pm and Friday 29 July 12.30pm