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You would expect a visit to a health club to be relaxing and stress-free.
Not so – at least not in this hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable romp which involves a country mansion owner gambling away the deeds to the house and then going to extrordinary lengths to save the family home
The production is tightly directed by Sarah Connor, [sic] with a brisk pace helping the farce-like scenes to race along.
The players all bring enormous energy to their parts, but Simon Goodison steales most scenes through his impersonations of a wide range of stereotyped characters.
Amy Godfrey-Arkle fusses well as a Sue Pollard lookalike and Julia Piper parades naked around the stage with great confidence. Steve Humphreys as the mansion owner keeps the action moving as great speed as the characters chase around in hot persuit of their missing clothes.
Farce is difficult to pull off but this company manages it even with seven doors on a very small stage.
Jeff Hart
The Daily Echo, 26th November 2001
| Edward Manchip | Steve Humphreys |
| Mr Bucher | Paul Smith |
| Minnie | Amy Godfrey-Arkle |
| Brian Manchip | Dave Bunyan |
| Mrs Court-Bending | Melanie Smith |
| Nancy McSmith | Julia Piper |
| Joan Manchip | Rosemarie Parker |
| Police Sergeant | Michael Vaughan |
| Maxie Maudlin | Simon Goodison |
| Angus McSmith | Jim Williams |
| Phillip | Himself |
Running a Health and Strength Home in a large and somewhat decaying country mansion can be a hazardous undertaking at any time, as Eddie Manchip knows. When one is further beset by a sinister crook to whom one has signed away the deeds of the house in payment of a gambling debt; a complete desertion of the staff except for one half-witted and generally hysterically excited maid; an erring, pompous brother; his suspicious wife; a tennis player in the nude; a quick-change artist who appears as someone different every ten minutes or so; the tennis player&rsuqo;s kilted Scottish husband and a hearty countrywoman grabbing second-hand clothing – then the result can be, in a word – chaos!
| Director | Sarah O’Connor |
| Prompt | Gill James |
| Lighting | Jon and Michael Vaughan |
| Property Mistress | Cecely Steward-Campkin |
| Property Assistant | Victor Campkin |
| Stage Building | George O’Connor |
| Catering | Brenda Jolly |
| Advertising | Rosemarie Parker |
| Promotions | Simon Goodison |
| Best Boy | Henri Le Bra |
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