REVIEW: Look Who's Talking by Rumpus Theatre Company

Spring has sprung at Chesterfield's Pomegranate Theatre where the annual play season has burst into bloom.

A hat-trick of productions kicked off this week with the light comedy Look Who’s Talking, which is not to be confused with the film of the same name.

This farce by Derek Benfield is set in the idyllic home of a solicitor and his wife on a summer’s day.....but storm clouds threaten their peaceful Sunday.

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Both have had drunken nights away from each other. His was at the office party where he promised to take his secretary abroad and hers was a late-night rendezvous with a stranger in a hotel....neither of which the spouses can remember.

The husband and wife have to do some pretty quick-thinking to cover their tracks when both the secretary and the stranger turn up at their home on the same day. Bogus identities are created and far-fetched scenarios are invented - but in the best tradition of farce, the apple cart is upset in hilarious fashion.

The characters are beautifully shaped by the five-strong cast, led by John Goodrum as the legal eagle Andrew whose sonorous voice is perfect for the role of chief inquisitor.

Susan Earnshaw plays the bustling wife Sheila, anxious that her secret remains just that and digging her way into a whole heap of trouble. She’s aided and abetted by Susie Hawthorne as the bookish, boozy Jane who trembles with excitement at the thought that her pal might have had an illicit fling.

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David Martin plays likeable stranger Brian who is embroiled in a scenario as colourful as his outfit. And Sarah Wynne Kordas is cast as secretary Carole who causes consternation for the man of the house when she arrives, suitcase in tow, ready for their trip to Italy.

This is comedy of an age where playwrights didn’t rely on sleaze or bad language to get laughs - a refreshing change to some of the plays which pass for entertainment these days.

The set is light and airy, the yellow decor emphasising the sunny climate while a profusion of flowers glimpsed through the patio doors indicate the head of the household’s green fingers.

Look Who’s Talking, directed by Karen Henson for Rumpus Theatre Company, is at the Pomegranate until Saturday, January 21.

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The spring play season continues with Treasure Island (January 24 to 29), again by Rumpus Theatre, and concludes with the thriller Sleuth which will be presented by Tabs Productions from January 31 to February 4.

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