Ray Cooney's 1987 farce, It Runs in the Family, is still an audience pleaser. The absurd shenanigans of Dr David Mortimore as he tries to deliver an important lecture to his fellow neurologists, while simultaneously hiding from his wife the newly discovered 18-year-old son who is the result of a liaison with a former nurse at his hospital, still strikes the funny bone in 2025. Indeed, as things get more and more inane, the theatre echoes with laughter at the philanderer's plight and the ever more elaborate web of lies that he weaves. Human nature and its follies don't change or go out of fashion. The skewering of hypocrisy and the mad lengths to which dishonesty can go, are the staples of this comic genre, and Cooney manages to satisfyingly strike both notes in his light-hearted confection. For the cast and director, this kind of thing is all about timing, and Ron Aldridge gets the pacing just right while the actors nicely manage to walk the tightrope of always taking themselves seriously, even as their situation becomes ever more absurd. Steven Pinder as the roguish Dr Mortimore and James Bradshaw, as his accomplice in nonsense, Dr Bonney, both acquit themselves hilariously, while Elizabeth Elvin as the befuddled matron and Iain Stuart Robertson as the bewildered patient are equally fun. Rachel Fielding puts in a nice turn as Mortimore's long-suffering wife, and Natasha Gray is suitably vengeful as his former mistress. Once again, The Mill at Sonning continues its tradition of delivering a first-class meal and absolutely delightful afters.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Carla Joy Evans
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